After starting production in Thailand this past July, FX's Alien prequel series has halted production due to the actor's strike in Hollywood. At the production's onset, the sci-fi horror show was focusing on only filming scenes with actors that were affiliated with the Equity union, which is essentially the UK's version of SAG-AFTRA.
However, there are several American actors among the Alien cast, and it seems the production has gone as far as it can without filming scenes involving its SAG-AFTRA card carriers.
Along with news of the production's stoppage, Deadline also reports that actor Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) has also joined the cast.
The full cast for the show includes Sydney Chandler (Don't Worry Darling), Alex Lawther (Black Mirror, Andor), Samuel Blenkin (The Sandman, Black Mirror), Essie Davis (Matrix Revolutions, Assassin's Creed), and Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger).
Chandler is an American actress and the female lead of the show, and it's thought that the prequel has simply filmed all the scenes it could without one of its leads. Lawther, an English actor, is the male lead of the show and is reportedly playing a soldier named CJ.
American SAG-AFTRA members have been on strike since July 14 as they attempt to negotiate a number of key issues with the AMPTP surrounding AI, streaming residuals, and other pertinent items.
Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) is serving as executive producer and showrunner.
Previously, Hawley told Vanity Fair that the series is set on Earth and will deal with issues of class warfare. "The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a space ship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of “What happens if you can’t contain it?” are more immediate. "