"Alien: Romulus": 6 interesting facts about its creation and development
The latest installment of the Alien franchise, which introduces audiences to a terrifying universe pushing the saga into the future without losing sight of the legacy that made it iconic, is now available on Disney+.
Since the cinema premiere of Alien: The Eighth Passenger in 1979, space and the creatures inhabiting it have never been the same. The iconic film directed by Ridley Scott forever changed the image of that unknown universe, turning it into something threatening and disturbing. Throughout the following decades, the successive sequels of the science fiction and horror franchise transported audiences to fascinating scenarios over and over again.
Today, 45 years after that iconic film debut, you can now watch on Disney+, Alien: Romulus, the latest installment of the saga that further expands the universe imagined in 1979, led by a great creative team headed by Uruguayan director, Fede Alvarez.
With a gaze set on the future and arms extended towards the rich legacy of the past, the film presents stunning sceneries and fascinating creatures, all through visual effects that pay tribute to the craftsmanship of the 1980s.
Here are six revealing facts about the process of creating the world of Alien: Romulus.
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Return to the basics to develop the visual style.
Its director, Fede Alvarez, a fan of the early Alien movies, knew from the start of the project that he wanted to "return to the basics" with Alien: Romulus. With the approval of Ridley Scott, who serves as executive producer of the new film, the director guided himself with principles such as visual simplicity and the use of manual visual effects. "I wanted to pay tribute to all the filmmakers who came before me and honor the Alien franchise in different ways", he notes.
In the same vein, executive producer Tom Moran adds: "I've never known a director who loves another director's movie more than Fede loves Ridley Scott's Alien. Ridley's approach in 1979 was very hands-on in terms of visual effects and style. Fede decided to honor that".
To achieve this, the filmmaker summoned renowned visual effects studios like Legacy Effects, Wu0113tu0101 Workshop, and Studio Gillis, who committed to materialize Alvarez's vision of the artisanal, with a modern twist.
2.- From the stages to the creatures, everything was physically created.
"As an essential component of the director's strategy, all the environments, spaceships, and creatures in the film were physically created. "We lean towards the practical at all levels, not only in the sets, but also in the creatures, props, scenery, and costumes. We focus on making it real and only use visual effects to complement and help embellish"," says production designer Naaman Marshall.
"The construction work of the stages involved the joining of forces from multiple areas, including lighting, props, and more. The result was astounding. The lights come out from the grates, smoke from the special effects comes out from all the fittings, all the buttons and switches work and flash, all the monitors were real and operated live," describes Marshall.
In addition to the visual result that this approach brought, the use of physical settings was also of great benefit to the cast. "It was amazing to be on set. Everything was practical, without special effects, which not only makes our job as actors easier, but also much more fun," expresses actor Archie Renaux, who plays Tyler.
3.- Alien and Aliens: Great References.
Within the timeline of the saga, Alien: Romulus is located between Alien and Aliens (directed by James Cameron), which causes the visual style of the new film to align very closely with these two films. In order to achieve the old futuristic and textured look, yet possessed by a familiar darkness, the filmmakers immersed themselves deeply in the research of the '80s and of every frame of the two films.
"Our approach with Naaman was to view the film as a period piece," emphasizes Alvarez, while Marshall shares that he extensively researched Scott and Cameron's films, paying special attention to textures, colors, shapes, and prosthetics.
In the new film, there are even nods to the iconic scores of Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner from Alien and Aliens, respectively, as well as to the opening title sequence by Richard Greenberg and Phil Gips from Alien.
4.- The new spacecrafts have multiple nods to the iconic ships of the saga.
Alien: Romulus introduces new spacecraft to the story, with direct nods to iconic ships from previous installments. The Corbelan, for example, was built in the same era and by the same company as the Nostromo ship from Alien. This narrative detail led the team to create it with panels, buttons, and screens identical to those of the Nostromo.
The kitchen area of the Corbelan is an exact replica of the Nostromo kitchen, with cups, a small coffee machine, and even cereal. The lantern issued by Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which appeared in Alien, also makes its appearance in Alien: Romulus.
Another of the new ships is the Renaissance, a decommissioned station composed of the Romulus and Remus modules. From a design perspective, Remus visually resembles Alien and Romulus to Aliens.
5.- The cast worked with a team of acrobats to achieve the zero gravity effect.
To achieve authenticity in the zero-gravity scenes of the film, the creative team initiated a large logistical operation that, in addition to requiring extensive knowledge and experience in production design, involved stunt specialists and special equipment from that discipline.
The stunt department of the movie spent weeks training the actors for these sequences, while Alvarez, Marshall, and their team designed an efficient system to simulate zero gravity on the set. Together, they devised multiple ways to adapt, especially during the long and complex elevator sequence.
Marshall explains: "We created four elevator shafts, all of different sizes and sections. Two were horizontal, one was only an interior with a movable wall behind, and the main shaft was built horizontally, which boosted gravity and put it on a different axis, so the forces were different. We were able to fly through the horizontal shaft as if it was zero gravity with stunt rigging to create seamless upward movement".
6.- Use of Specific Camera Techniques: Feelings of Claustrophobia and Tension.
A characteristic feature of Alien movies is the creation of feelings of claustrophobia, tension, and terror in audiences. To achieve this effect in Alien Romulus, Alvarez worked closely with the director of photography, Galo Olivares, in the use of camera techniques specifically designed for that purpose, with the use of handheld cameras and camera stabilizers.
The production design team also worked based on this, constructing scenery that encouraged confusion and disorientation by walking the thin line between being vast and elaborate while also allowing the director to create an essentially claustrophobic feeling.
"The aim was to make the sets incredibly detailed and grand to allow Fede to shoot from any angle, while at the same time making them terrifying and narrow to support our story. After building a set, we often added a lower ceiling or set decoration elements to force the actors to move," Marshall explains.
As a result, Alien: Romulus keeps the audience in constant suspense, making the cinematic experience exactly as Alvarez dreamed it.
Alien: Romulus can now be enjoyed through Disney+. Fans can also relive all the Alien movies on Disney+, including Alien, Aliens (available in 4K remastered version), Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection, Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant.