2024 is a big year for the “Alien” franchise, with Fede Álvarez‘s “Alien: Romulus” hitting theaters on August 16, 2024. But what about Noah Hawley‘s long-gestating “Alien” TV series for FX? Not according to TheWrap, with Hawley telling the outlet that show will air “somewhere in the in the first half of [2025],” given strike-related delays. In a new interview with THR, Hawley divulged some info about the show, including Ridley Scott’s involvement, and what it’s like doing his own version of a big franchise IP.
READ MORE: Noah Hawley’s ‘Alien’ Prequel Series Starts Production In Thailand Without SAG-Affiliated Actors
So, is Scott, the founding father of the “Alien” franchise, a major creative player on Hawley’s series? Hawley responded to that question with a quip, “I mean, are the Coens involved in “Fargo? [Hawley’s long-running FX show, now in its fifth season]. Let’s just say, I’ve probably had more conversations with Ridley than I’ve had with Joel and Ethan.  Scott Free [Productions] is producing “Alien,” and Ridley is making two or three movies a year is basically how that’s working.”  
That means, no, Scott isn’t really in the mix creatively speaking when it comes to Hawley’s show. But Hawley does touch base with the director from time to time. “I mean, Ridley has been an amazing collaborator to the degree that I can pick his brain about all of his thoughts, processes, decisions and the things that he’s learned,” he continued. “And I try to keep him [in the loop] and send him material so that he feels respected and included. But also, he’s doing his thing.”
That means Hawley’s upcoming series is an original take on the franchise for the showrunner, something he prizes when it comes to working with IP like “Alien.” Hawley commented that his working relationship with John Landgraf and FX is a big reason he’s involved with “Alien” in the first place. When asked about a prior interview where he voiced frustration about working on franchises (in reference to Hawley’s short time developing “Star Trek 4“), Hawley responded, “I’ve been at FX for a decade now, and worked with John Landgraf for years before that, so everything I said in that interview is true with the caveat that when you find the right partner and they ask, ‘Do you want to do “Alien”?’ — which is a hugely valuable franchise to this company — it’s, ‘Do you want to do your version of “Alien”?’ It’s a very different conversation.”
Hawley’s time working on “Alien” has been very different than his brief time working with the “Star Trek” IP. “What I found with “Star Trek” was I got onto the runway and then there was a managerial changeover,” Hawley continued. “In retrospect, it’s not that they killed the movie. It’s that I got as far as I did with a wholly original idea, until someone said, ‘Well, wait a minute, what are we even doing with this valuable IP? Just giving it to him to make up a story? That’s not how corporate filmmaking works.’ So, if the call came in to do a big franchise film again, it would have to come with a sense of, “We want you to do your version of it.” 
And that’s precisely what Hawley is doing with “Alien”: his own version of the franchise. Details about the series remain under wraps, though. Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, and Essie Davis lead the show’s cast, which also includes Adarsh Gourav and Kit Young. And the show serves as a prequel to Scott’s 1979 film, taking place on Earth roughly seventy years in the future. But it remains unclear if Hawley’s series overlaps with Alvarez’s upcoming film or any other installments in the “Alien” franchise. Whatever the case, expect Hawley’s take on Xenomorphs, Weyland-Yutani Corp, and other touchstones in the “Alien” saga to be one of the most anticipated TV series until it finally airs.