Posted in: FX, Hulu, Preview, TV | Tagged: alien, fx, fx on hulu, noah hawley, preview

Alien: FX Networks Updates Noah Hawley Series, When It Could Premiere

Earlier this summer, Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley offered some pretty extensive insight into his upcoming "Alien" series for FX Networks (more on that in a minute). Now it was FX network boss John Landgraf to offer an update on how the production is looking. The executive revealed that Hawley's take will be a combination of honoring the film franchise ("I think Noah's very conscious of the fact that there's a cinematic universe") with "some inventiveness and originality that is uniquely Noah [Hawley]", noting a number of Hawley's past works. 'I think you'll also see that the show will feel like a part of the cinematic universe you're familiar with in terms of Alien," he added. Describing the project as "a beast…a really big, world-building exercise" for Hawley, Landgraf already has an eye n when the project will hit screens. Well, at least what year it will hit screens. "I have optimism that that show may well roll out in 2023," he answered. "It will probably roll out 2023 but we want to get it right."

In an interview with Vanity Fair from earlier this summer to promote his new novel Anthem, Hawley offered a production update on the FX on Hulu series as well as some insight into the themes that the series will be taking a deep dive into over the course of its run:

Hawley's Getting Inspiration from The Past: "What's next for me, it looks like, is [an] Alien series for FX, taking on that franchise and those amazing films by Ridley Scott and James Cameron and David Fincher. Those are great monster movies, but they're not just monster movies. They're about humanity trapped between our primordial, parasitic past and our artificial intelligence future—and they're both trying to kill us. Here you have human beings and they can't go forward and they can't go back. So I find that really interesting."

Hawley Offers a Production Update & Making Sure They "Do It Right": "I've written a couple of scripts, the first two scripts, and we're looking to make them next spring. When you get to something with this level of visual effects, there's a lot of preparation that has to go into it. What's been really illuminating is to see that the entire film industry had to take a year off and they are now trying to jam two years of production into one year. So it's very hard to look on the planet earth and see where you might make something in the next six months. Everyone is racing to make up for lost time. So, I figure let that bubble burst a little bit and we'll do it right."

This Not a "Ripley Story" & Things Are Going To Open Up A Bit: "It's not a Ripley story. She's one of the great characters of all time, and I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don't want to mess with it. It's a story that's set on Earth also. The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a spaceship. 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."

Hawley Looks to Continue the Films' "Inequality" Themes: "You know, one of the things that I love about the first movie is how '70s a movie it is, and how it's really this blue collar space-trucker world in which Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton are basically 'Waiting for Godot.' They're like Samuel Beckett characters, ordered to go to a place by a faceless nameless corporation. The second movie is such an '80s movie, but it's still about grunts. Paul Reiser is middle management at best. So, it is the story of the people you send to do the dirty work."

For Hawley, That Means a Focus on the Dangers Human Represent as Well as Aliens: "In mine, you're also going to see the people who are sending them. So you will see what happens when the inequality we're struggling with now isn't resolved. If we as a society can't figure out how to prop each other up and spread the wealth, then what's going to happen to us? There's that great Sigourney Weaver line to Paul Reiser where she says, 'I don't know which species is worse. At least they don't fuck each other over for a percentage.'"

Bleeding Cool TV on Instagram: For all of the stuff too random and bizarre to make the site, make sure to follow us on Instagram: Bleeding Cool TV (@bleedingcooltv).

BCTV Daily Dispatch: For a look at what's going on across the television and streaming landscape, sign up for Bleeding Cool's daily email round-up of the news you need to know here.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!