We made it everyone! 2021 is here, a new outlook for everyone, and this especially goes for the Alien franchise. It is now officially under the Disney banner and everything we think we know is out of the window. Now is a good time as any to take a look at what we know, what we don’t, and speculate.

The good news, right off the bat we have two items to be excited about: new comic line from Marvel and a TV miniseries in the hands of Noah Hawley. It’s going to be incredibly strange not reading an Aliens story under Dark Horse Comics. That was my first introduction to the Expanded Universe and helped get me hooked to the world outside of the movies.

Alien #1 will be written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Salvador Larroca. Amongst the fans, Marvel got off the wrong foot unfortunately. Known tracer Greg Land victimized the incredibly talented and hard working Tristan Jones and it set fandom rightfully ablaze. That being said, I remain excited to see where Marvel takes this, the many incredible writers and artists that work there shouldn’t be punished for the crimes of one. As much as I love Dark Horse, the stories went off the rails towards the end. Perfect time for a change in my opinion.

Marvel even teased crossovers with special covers celebrating acquiring the license. There was chatter amongst the fans that such crossovers could be bad for Alien, however it’s not only inevitable but it’s great for the franchise. More exposure is a good thing, especially with Marvel as scorching hot as it is now. It’s already been referenced in Avengers and Infinity War movies. Not to mention The Brood, who are heavily influenced by the beast. I am excited!

However, the announcement that has fandom’s hearts all aflutter is the TV series! For the first time ever Alien is coming to the small screen. It’s being released on FX and the talented Noah Hawley is the showrunner. Hawley is mostly known for his excellent work on the TV shows Legion and Fargo. To add to the intrigue, it’s going to be set on Earth! This part of the announcement caused immediate PTSD as a good portion of us immediately thought of AvP: Requiem.

Earth remains (or is it the remains of Earth? *insert thinking emoji) an interesting setting. In the comics, it was a setting for the Earth War storyline, which was excellent. And, it opens the avenues for some Weyland-Yutani corporate espionage. The Company has always been the over arching nemesis, to see their inner workings would be wonderful television. Hopefully the show releases sometime this year!

Now, with every new beginning there is going to be change. People are going to get angry. The question is, what is Disney going to do? The Prequels: are they finished or going to get finished? Alien 3 and Resurrection: Ignored or accepted? Will we get a reboot or a restart? There are six movie and endless comics, a plan is more than likely in the works. Regardless of how you enjoy the franchise, it’s been mishandled since Aliens. But with whatever is decided, there will be a portion of the fanbase that is going to bring the ruckus. As long as it ends up quality, I don’t care.

The way I see it is this: If Disney decides to ignore the Prequels, Alien 3 or Resurrection it doesn’t matter. How could I say such a thing?! The audacity! Because the movies are still there to watch. I can fire them up at anytime. We’re pretty much at the point where we make up and accept what canon what we want anyways. It can be pretty convoluted at this stage. As a fan, there is nothing wrong with that. We all are here to enjoy Alien, nothing wrong with picking and choosing what you prefer regardless of what is official and what is not. Creativity is a wonderful thing, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Times are changing in the world of Alien. Here’s to hoping the future is enjoyable for us all!

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