There have been concerns that since Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, that the latter studios' dedication to its r-rated properties would be sidelined to adhere to Disney's family-friendly oriented approach to its productions. This is despite that Marvel Studios, Disney's largest subsidiary studio has produced content that is not in line with Disney's somewhat parental policies, such as with their small screen serials Daredevil, and The Punisher, the latter of which has been noted by critics for its depiction of adult-themed content such as sexual relations, torture and violence.
With Disney due to release their own streaming service, Disney Play in 2019, gathering content for which was the companies primary drive behind acquiring 21st Century Fox, it seems somewhat strange that citing an unnamed and unverifiable source YouTuber, Mr. H Reviews has recently claimed that a serial show set within the Alien universe, one of Fox's most prolific r-rated properties, is in development and has allegedly found its home with an unnamed streaming service. There is the possibility that the streaming service in question may be an adult-oriented subsidiary of Disney Play itself, but if there are no plans for such then one would expect an Alien serial show, if one is in development, to appear on Netflix, considering the streaming services previous and aforementioned collaborations with Marvel Studios.
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Although we strongly advise our community of Alien fans to take this rumor with a good measure of salt until there is an official confirmation or denial from Fox themselves, the possibility that Fox could be developing an additional chapter to the Alien franchise for the small screen is tantalizing, while raising some interesting questions, the leading question of which would be the franchises future on the big screen. The last known confirmed reports about Alien's big screen future came from an interview with Fox's chairman and CEO Stacey Snider in Variety, back in September 2017, when she suggested that the studio remained confident that Ridley Scott would return with at least one more prequel movie once he and his creative team had found the right narrative direction, while also acknowledging that Alien: Covenant's critical and commercial performance was less than ideal.
"It was a Disappointment, but I trust Ridley (Scott) and Emma (Watts) to know the right story when they find it. When universes are as rich as Alien, they can stay in a too familiar groove - in which case you're in trouble - but they can also find a planet or a storyline or a villain that also lives in that universe that can be groundbreaking."
Some have taken Snider's statement (above) to suggest that Scott's previously reported direction for his third Alien prequel, in which the character of David (Michael Fassbender) would be further explored amidst themes of AI at the cost of a diminished inclusion of the franchises primary antagonist - the Alien (as mentioned in the director's appearance in the Empire Film Podcast in October 2017), may not be in line with Fox's plans for the franchises immediate and long-term future. The possible development of a small screen Alien serial would seem to further suggest that Fox may be growing unhappy with the narrative direction Scott has taken with the Alien prequels, both of which have divided the fanbase while receiving negative critique for their convoluted narratives, inconsistent internal logic, editing, pacing, and characterizations.
If an Alien serial is in development the obvious question from the fans would be towards its direction. Considering the almost universal detraction towards Alien: Resurrection it is highly unlikely that Fox would develop an addition to the Alien franchise, on either the big or small screen that would be associated with the events depicted therein. Therefore, with Prometheus set in 2093 and Alien 3 set in 2179, the narrative and creative team of an Alien serial would have 87 years of unexplored history within which to play with, giving us a few possibilities as to what direction a possible Alien serial could take...
Hadleys Hope
Although explored in comic books and novels, the infestation of the Hadley's Hope Atmosphere Processing Colony on Acheron LV-426 has only ever been glimpsed at in a few additional scenes added to the special edition of James Cameron's 1986 sequel Aliens. A live action serial chronicling the fall of Hadley's Hope could answer some narrative inconsistencies Aliens created, such as why the colonists never discovered the derelict Juggernaut despite having occupied the moon for twenty years, and whether or not the Weyland-Yutani Corporation established the colony in the hope of subjugating the colonists to acquire the Alien.
The Engineers
In the closing moments of Prometheus, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) transmitted a message warning anyone away from LV-223. However, following the transmission David sent to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the Alien: Covenant short Advent, it is possible that the notoriously morally ambivalent corporation would follow in the androids footsteps likely investigating LV-223 and/or Planet 4 (from Alien: Covenant) and uncovering the truth about the Engineers and the deadly black pathogen. Such a serial could allow Fox to retcon the more divisive elements of the Alien prequels while continuing to explore the narrative they have added to the mythology of the franchise.
The Company
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has been depicted as one of the most unscrupulous and deviant conglomerates in popular fiction alongside contemporaries such as the Umbrella Corporation (Resident Evil), Union Aerospace Corporation (Doom), and Delos Incorporated (Westworld). Referred to as "The Company" by its employees, Weyland-Yutani appears to have investments and influence within most of the non-corporate bodies that populate the fictional future setting of the Alien franchise, including the Colonial Marines, Extrasolar Colonization Administration, and the Interstellar Commerce Commission, while practicing a morally inept attitude towards its employees. A corporately themed serial set within the offices of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, while not strictly Alien themed could be used to expand the notoriety and dark motives of the corporation, while not directly impacting the big screen Alien movies.
Of course, if Fox is developing a small screen addition to the Alien franchise it may not be one of the three we have postulated above, however, we feel these are the three most likely possibilities given the gaps within the timelines of the first three movies and their two prequels. Again, we remind our community of Alien fans that this is not "news", but an unconfirmed and unsubstantiated rumor. Our speculations as to what direction such a serial could take are just that: mere speculation, and as such we'd be interested in hearing your own theories about what direction you believe a possible Alien serial could take.
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