Alien: Romulus is set just under 40 years before the events of Aliens (1986).
Directed by Fede Alvarez, Alien: Romulus is a science fiction horror film that was released in 2024 and is part of the Alien franchise. The film is set between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) and is a spin-off in the overarching universe of the franchise. It revolves around six young space colonists who are forced to escape from hostile creatures while scavenging an abandoned space station. The film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu as the space colonists. It was praised for its technical aspects and even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
How does Alien: Romulus connect to Aliens?
Alien: Romulus is set around 20 years after the events of Alien (1979) and just under 40 years before the events of Aliens (1986), and thus connects everything together. The first piece of evidence that showcases this in Alien: Romulus is when the Xenomorph that Ripley blew into the vacuum of space is discovered, petrified, by a Weyland-Yutani spacecraft. The original creature does manage to escape but only after Weyland-Yutani created new clones which links it to Alien: Covenant.
Despite taking place decades before Aliens, Alien: Romulus has plenty of references to the 1986 film. That includes finding rifles similar to the ones Space Marines use, a direct quote that Ripley uses in Aliens, and the use of the phrase “artificial person” instead of an android as per the film.
How many films and TV shows are there in the Alien franchise?
Produced and distributed by 20th Century Studios, Alien is a science fiction, horror, and media franchise that began in 1979 with the release of the first film Alien. Starring Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the film was a critical and commercial hit, paving the road for the future. Since then, the franchise has led to comic books, novels, video games, television series, and a catalog of films.
Here is a complete list of films and TV shows in the Alien Franchise:
Films
Alien (1979)
Aliens (1986)
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Alien vs. Predator films:
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Prometheus films
Prometheus (2012)
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Spin-off films
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Short films
Prometheus films
TED 2023 (2012)
Quiet Eye: Elizabeth Shaw (2012)
Alien 40th anniversary films
Alien: Containment (2019)
Alien: Specimen (2019)
Alien: Night Shift (2019)
Alien: Ore (2019)
Alien: Harvest (2019)
Alien: Alone (2019)
Television shows
Alien: Earth (2025)
Also read: Cast of Alien's Romulus
FAQs on Alien: Romulus
A. The biggest connection is when the Romulus science station finds a black liquid, called Prometheus fire, and reveals it was taken from the Xenomorph recovered from the wreckage of the exploded Nostromo ship.
A. As Romulus and Remus are legendary twins who founded Rome, the subtitle of Alien: Romulus is a direct reference to the theme as it takes place in the Romulus lab.
A. While Ash, portrayed by the late Sir Ian Hom, isn’t in Alien: Romulus, he appears as Rook, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic who is the same model as Ash.
