According to Deadline, production on FX‘s upcoming Alien series has officially begun in Thailand without SAG-AFTRA cast members. Due to the ongoing actors strike, three of its actors, including leading star Sydney Chandler (Don’t Worry Darling), weren’t able to film the project. However, The End of the F*cking World actor Alex Lawther, who has been tapped as the male lead of the sci-fi thriller, has started shooting his scenes in Thailand since he is under British Equity.
The outlet notes that the shooting schedule for the Alien series has been reworked to delay the participation of its SAG-AFTRA actors. Before the actors strike begun, the project was already in pre-production for four months and wasn’t affected by the writers strike since all scripts were done before May.
Who’s the Cast of the Alien Series?
The untitled Alien series is written and directed by Noah Hawley. Joining Chandler and Lawther are Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, Essie Davis (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) as Dame Silvia, and Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) as Slightly. Further details about its plot are still being kept under wraps, but it was reportedly developed as a prequel story set before the Sigourney Weaver-led movies.
It will be the first-ever Alien story set on Earth. According to Hawley, the series will explore the more grounded aspects of the franchise. The director also touched on the inclusion of Weyland-Yutani — the massive corporation that’s found in nearly every Alien property — and how he plans to deliver a series that both captures the horror-action aspect of the Alien franchise and explores other themes established in the world.
The project is executive produced by Hawley, Ridley Scott, and Dana Gonzales, with Chris Lowenstein production. In addition to the upcoming FX series, 20th Century Studios is also set to release a brand new installment to the Alien film franchise titled Alien: Romulus, which hails from director Fede Álvarez.
