Thanks to Aliens, the series avoided a premature game over. In the new film Alien: Romulus , sci-fi fans will see several references to the 1979 Ridley Scott classic that kicked off the whole franchise. Romulus even has Scott’s seal of approval; the director was reportedly “relieved” when he saw an early cut.
But while Romulus is a direct sequel to Alien, the homages aren’t limited to it. In many places, it feels like Romulus has more in common with the 1986 James Cameron-directed sequel, Aliens . So if you’re hoping to continue your chest-bursting journey after seeing Romulus , you can do no better than to rewatch the film that truly birthed the rest of the franchise with gusty bravado nearly 40 years ago.
Aliens, as a sequel, is a unique and unlikely beast. Although Alien was a hit for 20th Century Fox, budget concerns trapped the sequel in development limbo. Unlike today, where it's common for studios to gamble on spinoffs and sequels to existing properties, Alien 2 didn’t seem like a surefire moneymaker.
Alien director Ridley Scott also had several post- Alien projects, including briefly being attached to a Dune movie before directing 1982’s Blade Runner . But then, in 1983, James Cameron submitted a treatment for a sequel, and things started to move. Studio changes and a writers’ strike delayed the film, but by 1985, Aliens began filming.
And from the outset, it was clear that while Cameron intended to honor Alien , it would in no way be a retread. While .