‘Alien: Earth’ series offers behind-the-scenes peek at xenomorph

The upcoming FX series Alien: Earth by TV master Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) remains mostly shrouded in mystery, but an interesting tidbit is just coming into focus. Rebecca and Kevin Joelson, the producers behind the show’s teaser trailer, recently shared images and videos of how the clip came about.

The biggest surprise is that the trailer’s deadly xenomorph was done with practical effects, not computer-generated imagery (CGI). In the clip on the Joelsons websitean actor is festooned with the xeno’s headpiece, which presents the sharp teeth and the iconic internal jaw of the alien. The work of the production team was seen in the teaser, which highlights a reflection of the Earth in the bright xenon dome and the tagline: “In 2120, Mother Earth is waiting.”

The show is set two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s Beloved Alien and begins after a “mysterious spacecraft crash-lands on Earth,” according to FX. Adhering to the franchise formula of a strong woman who stays cool under pressure, Sydney Chandler plays the show’s protagonist and one of the individuals who discovers the ship. Also with Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther and Essie Davis, Alien: Earth premiering this summer on Hulu.

Hawley, the creator and writer of Alien: Earth, he said Hollywood Reporter that his show mainly uses practical effects with “some CG”. The theater of Fede Alvarez Alien: Romulus from this year he also abandoned a lot of the CGI that was a big part of Ridley Scott’s prequel films, especially in 2017. Alien: Alliance. However criticized for his use of a false deep to recreate a character from the original Alien, Romulus it was a critical and commercial success, earning over $350 million at the international box office.

Alien: Terra, behind the scenes of the teaser
Credit: Courtesy the Joelsons