‘Alien’ TV Series: When Does Noah Hawley’s Show Premiere on FX and Hulu?
Before you say Alien won’t work on television, consider who’s creating the series. Before Noah Hawley made Fargo a TV series, people would have said you can’t turn a Coen Brothers movie into a show. Hawley is developing a series based on Alien for FX, and therefore it will stream on Hulu, too.
FX Chairman John Landgraf spoke with the Television Critics Association by Zoom on Aug. 13. Landgraf gave an update on when you can expect to see Hawley’s Alien on FX and Hulu, and what to expect from his take.
Noah Hawley’s ‘Alien’ could air on FX in 2023
FX announced Hawley developing the Alien series on Dec. 10, 2020, according to Variety Since then, Landgraf indicates the show is on the fast track, but fast still takes years when it comes to big budget sci-fi. Landgraf also confirmed Alien director Ridley Scott will executive produce the series.
“I have optimism, for example, that that show may well roll out in 2023, probably will roll out in 2023,” Landgraf said. “But we want to get it right. All I can tell you is that. You’re being given access to a really precious resource when you’re granted access to such an important piece of IP, and it’s not something FX does a lot of. Noah feels this way. I feel this way. Ridley and his people feel this way. We’ve got to get this one right, and we’re going to take whatever time it takes to do that.”
Will Noah Hawley make ‘Alien’ as weird as ‘Legion’?
Hawley also dabbled in the X-Men universe with his FX series Legion. With the time-travel telekinetic show, Hawley was able to bring some abstract narrative to Marvel. Landgraf said he’s sticking to the source material with Alien.
“[Alien is] very grounded,” Landgraf said. “I think Noah’s very conscious of the fact that there’s a cinematic universe, if you will, and that while it has some flexibility that the aesthetic that was established by Ridley Scott and I think continued by James Cameron is a part of that universe. Scott Free and Ridley are involved in this, very involved in this as producers. So while I think you’ll see some inventiveness and some originality that is uniquely Noah, I also think that this show will feel like a part of the cinematic universe that you’re familiar with in terms of Alien.”
FX is already working to be on the air in 2023
Alien will require more resources than a show like Fargo, which took place in the real world. Even Legion involved superheroes in present day, and the past. Alien is full on futuristic sci-fi, and it will take a lot to match the movies on television.
“What I can say is that maybe pun intended it’s a beast, Alien,” Landgraf said. It is a really big worldbuilding exercise. Noah with his support from Scott Free is certainly up to it. But, I mean, you’re talking about design and build and sets and worldbuilding. That’s huge. So we’re well into it. We’re actually moving apace.”
Sources: Variety, TCA session
