If you ask my colleague, Eric Eisenberg, Alien: Romulus is the third-best entry in the franchise, as he writes in his positive review. It's hard to argue with him, and it makes sense that a sequel is on the way. Yet what fans know about the film is pretty limited. We’ve had a few sequel updates, yet it’s still anyone’s guess what the upcoming horror film will be. One thing we do know: Fede Álvarez isn’t returning to direct the Romulus sequel. As a fan, that initially bummed me out, but I love his reason for wanting to still pen the movie's script.
In a clip from HorrorHound Weekend (Sept. 12–14, 2025) shared by YouTuber Epic Film Guy Jeremy, the Don't Breathe director lays out the ethos behind his approach to the sequel. According to him, the best way forward is a one-and-done, pass-the-torch but safeguard the story you started. On the panel, he explained:
I don't think I was ever going to [direct the Romulus sequel]. We always knew right when we finished that this is one of those series where you come in and you do one, you get out. I think that’s why I’ve seen [with] Cameron, Fincher… all those directors I love, they went and did one, they left. Ridley, obviously, created it, he has the right to make a bunch of them.
These remarks follow the Girl in the Spider’s Web helmer admitting there were “mistakes” in Romulus, and he hopes to avoid them next time. That mindset aligns with the Alien playbook as, before Prometheus and Alien: Covenant (which brought series creator Ridley Scott back), each film bore the fingerprint of a new filmmaker. Álvarez is honoring that rotating vision tracks. What really earns goodwill with me as a long-time fan, though, is why he and his team still wrote the sequel. He continued:
But we did want to write it. Mostly, it’s because we love the characters we created so we want to make sure no one kills them right at the beginning of the next one…. They way they killed Hicks and Newt just like that, we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s not let that happen.’ So we wrote it, made sure they stayed alive, and now we can let someone else direct it.
If you’re a longtime fan, I'm sure you felt that line. The Alien 3 wipe, erasing the goodwill of Aliens (one of the greatest sequels ever and best movies in the series), remains a polarizing gut punch: bold, yes, but for many, deflating. Álvarez’s choice to protect the Romulus survivors lets the next director innovate without starting from emotional zero, and without alienating (sorry for the pun) fans eager to see series newcomer Cailee Spaeny return as Rain.
The Evil Dead reboot director's decision to stay on as a writer isn’t just a nod to fans, but it's a smart filmmaking choice. Splitting writing from directing protects the characters’ arcs while inviting a fresh visual voice. It also allows the next filmmaker to shift subgenres, as James Cameron did with Aliens, a kind of evolution that keeps a franchise alive and exciting.
So, even though Fede Álvarez is stepping away from the director’s chair, I'm so glad he and his team are protecting the characters they created. That's exactly the stewardship the Alien series needs. I’m also genuinely excited to see what’s next for a franchise I’ve loved since I first got into the horror genre. Until a sequel lands on the new movie schedule, I’ll happily settle for Alien: Earth on FX, and the show is also streamable with a Hulu subscription alongside Romulus.
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