Fans of Ridley Scott's Alien franchise are eating well at the moment, with last year's film Alien: Romulus being well-received and a box office hit, and a new TV show, Alien: Earth, on the way this year.

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The series, which comes from Legion and Fargo creator Noah Hawley, will be the first project in the Alien franchise to be set on Earth, and will take place prior to the original 1979 film.

But as anticipation builds for the series, which will star Sugar's Sydney Chandler and Justified's Timothy Olyphant, when will it actually be released and what else do we know about it?

Read on for everything you need to know about Alien: Earth.

When will Alien: Earth be released?

We don't yet have an official release date for Alien: Earth, but we do know it will arrive on Disney Plus in the UK at some point in 2025.

It's been a long road to the screen for the series, which was first announced back in 2020, and wrapped filming in July 2024. It will be made up of eight episodes.

What is Alien: Earth about?

Men walking out of the water in Alien: Earth
Alien: Earth. FX

Alien: Earth will be set two years before the events of the first Alien film, and the official synopsis says: "When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat."

FX boss John Landgraf previously revealed that the series would be "set not too far into our future", and set it would be a blend of Alien's horror and Aliens's action.

He said: "By blending both the timeless horror of the first Alien film with the non-stop action of the second, it's going to be a scary thrill ride that will blow people back in their seats."

Landgraf also revealed that the show is intended to be "an ongoing series", meaning if the first season is well received and highly viewed it is likely to return for season 2.

More recently, the show's creator Noah Hawley told Deadline: "There’s something about seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes. That is truly chilling to think of it moving here among us, and so I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it — and you’re going to lock your door that night.

"What was really fun for me was to really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to the design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct. But some of the elements as we know, whatever the host is, informs what the final creature is. I just wanted to play around a little bit to make it as scary as it should be."

Who will star in Alien: Earth?

Sydney Chandler in Alien: Earth
Sydney Chandler in Alien: Earth FX

The cast of Alien: Earth will be led by Sydney Chandler, who will play a meta-human Wendy, and Timothy Olyphant, who will play her synth mentor.

Also in the central cast for the series are Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin and Adrian Edmondson, amongst others.

Here's a full list of the central cast for the show:

  • Sydney Chandler as Wendy
  • Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh
  • Alex Lawther as CJ
  • Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier
  • Essie Davis as Dame Silvia
  • Adarsh Gourav as Slightly
  • Kit Young as Tootles
  • David Rysdahl as TBC
  • Babou Ceesay as TBC
  • Jonathan Ajayi as TBC
  • Erana James as TBC
  • Lily Newmark as TBC
  • Diêm Camille as TBC
  • Adrian Edmondson as TBC
  • Sandra Yi Sencindiver as TBC

Is there a trailer for Alien: Earth?

We haven't got a full trailer yet, but we did get a creepy first teaser, released towards the end of 2024.

You can watch that here now.

A small amount of footage was also revealed in this look forward to the new shows landing on Disney Plus in 2025.

Alien: Earth will be released in 2025. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

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Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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