In space, no one can hear you scream – and in Thailand, no SAG-AFTRA strike can totally close down your production. As actors and writers across the film and TV industry continue to picket in pursuit of the pay they deserve for the invaluable work that they do, out in Bangkok, production presses on for Noah Hawley’s eagerly-awaited upcoming Alien prequel series. And now, according to Deadline, we know that The End Of The F*cking World star Alex Lawther and The Babadook’s Essie Davis are among the ensemble joining Sydney Chandler for the Ridley Scott-produced series.
Though details are scarce at present, we do know that Lawther is set to play the series’ male lead, a soldier named CJ, whilst Davis will take on the role of the distinguished-sounding Dame Silvia. Elsewhere, the same report also confirms further cast additions in the shape of Black Mirror alum Samuel Blenkin, who’s set to play a CEO called Boy Kavalier, and The White Tiger’s Adarsh Gourav as a character known simply as Slightly. Whilst Lawther is currently on set and shooting however, being an Equity-affiliated actor, production has shuffled order to accommodate for the series’ three SAG-AFTRA stars and their strike action.
Little is known about what Hawley’s prequel will entail, and we don’t yet have any kind of release timeframe, but we do know that this is set to be the first instalment in the sci-fi horror franchise to take place on Earth. We also know that its events will reportedly predate Sigourney Weaver’s tangles with xenomorphs (‘Tangles With Xenomorphs’ is also the proposed title for our Dances With Wolves-inspired Alien musical, coincidentally). It’s also a separate venture to Fede Alverez’s Alien movie for 20th Century Studios starring Isabela Merced and Cailee Spaeny, which will be the ninth film in the franchise. That one’s in post-production already, so should be here in the not too distant future.
In the meantime, we’ll be getting rehearsals underway for ‘Tangles With Xenomorphs’. Do you know how hard it is to get an alien to stand en pointe?