Where Alien: Romulus Fits in the Franchise's Timeline (2024)

The Alien franchise is one of the most successful and popular science fiction movie franchises of all time, with the property being a pop-cultural phenomenon ever since the Ridley Scott original. Though it began in the 1970s, the series and its timeline are still going strong. This is culminating in the release of the upcoming Alien: Romulus, which is -- and isn't -- the next entry in the franchise.

Far from straightforward, the Alien movies and their spinoffs have a somewhat confusing chronology. This was compounded by the movie Prometheus, which some viewers initially didn't even realize was related to Alien. Alien: Romulus may end up making said continuity even more convoluted, though it's possibly the best chance that the series has at a fresh jumping on point.

Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on August 6, 2024: Alien: Romulus is now about to hit theaters, with the highly-anticipated film already the most hyped entry in the franchise in years. Thus, fans who are making their own rewatch will wonder how the Alien: Romulus timeline lines up with the rest of the franchise. Finding out when Alien: Romulus is set is important in terms of understanding the series' chronological order, especially given the placement of certain prequels and spinoffs.

The Prometheus Duology Is the Beginning of the Alien Timeline

Though it was released over 30 years after the original Alien, the 2012 film Prometheus is chronologically the first entry in the Alien timeline. This means that it takes place long before the events of Alien: Romulus. The movie starts in 2089 before going forward to 2093, with the storyline involving the crew of the eponymous spaceship. Following a "star map," the crew ends up finding various artifacts related to the origins of the human race. Unfortunately, these also tie them to the Engineers, a group of humanoid extraterrestrials that seemingly want to end humanity.

The film was envisioned as being set in the same world as the Alien movies, though these connections (besides the insidious Weyland Corporation) weren't initially clear. Things become more obvious as the movie ends, however, with the alien mutant offspring of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (which had been removed from her stomach and since grown immensely) impregnating an Engineer. The offspring of this forced reproduction then sprouts from the Engineer's body as an ancestral version of the Xenomorphs from the main Alien movies.

This prequel series continued with 2017's Alien: Covenant, which took place 11 years after the end of Prometheus. There, it was revealed that the "perfected" Xenomorphs were intentionally designed by none other than David, the human-like android seen in the previous film. Nevertheless, there were still several mysteries left by the movie's conclusion. Most notably, the crashed Engineer ship seen later in the original Alien had yet to be explained. So far, this is the most recently-released Alien film, and it's unknown if there will ever be a direct sequel that bridges the gap with the later films.

Prometheus

R

Adventure

Mystery

Following clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.

Director

Ridley Scott

Release Date

June 8, 2012

Cast

Noomi Rapace , Logan Marshall-Green , Michael Fassbender , Charlize Theron , Idris Elba , Guy Pearce

Writers

Jon Spaihts , Damon Lindelof , Dan O'Bannon

Runtime

2 Hours 4 Minutes

Main Genre

Science Fiction

Production Company

Twentieth Century Fox, Dune Entertainment, Scott Free Productions

The Classic Alien Series Is Set Less Than 2 Decades After the Prometheus Duology

The first Alien movie is set in the year 2122, which is only 18 years after the conclusion of Alien: Covenant and still a bit before Alien: Romulus. The plot involves the crew of the Nostromo, namely series protagonist Ellen Ripley, being forced to contend with a Xenomorph when one infects one of their own and kills them one by one. It's also revealed that Weyland-Yutani (having had a merger since the days of Prometheus) are interested in obtaining a Xenomorph specimen for its own nefarious purposes. Likewise, in between the events of this film and the last film, a group of Engineers landed on the planet LV-426 and deposited several Xenomorph eggs there.

The story continues in Aliens, which takes place in 2179. The time jump and Ripley's being the same age is due to her having been in cryogenic sleep in the interim, with LV-426 becoming a colony during the time skip. Unfortunately, a legion of Xenomorphs is awakened, forcing Ripley and a crew of soldiers to go in and take them on. Both Aliens and its sequel, Alien 3, took place in 2179. The latter film ended with Ripley, now the host for the infant Xenomorph queen, sacrificing herself to be rid of the species once and for all. The fourth film was Alien: Resurrection, which takes place 202 years later, in 2381, and follows a clone of Ellen Ripley.

Using blood samples from the true Ripley, scientists were able to create replicas of both her and the Xenomorphs. This causes the new Xenomorph queen, who has mutated genetics, to give birth to a more human-looking hybrid. Together with the crew of the Auriga, the cloned Ripley has to contend with her offspring as the characters eventually find themselves heading to Earth. So far, this is the latest that the long Alien series has gone in terms of chronology, and that's yet to change even with the new movie Alien: Romulus.

When Does Alien: Romulus Take Place?

The seventh main entry in the overall Alien timeline, Alien: Romulus releases seven years after the prequel, Alien: Covenant. It's not a follow-up to the Prometheus duology, however, and it's instead more standalone in nature. The movie is set in between the events of Alien and Aliens, which is, to be fair, a span of several decades. The exact year has now been revealed as being 20 years after the first movie, meaning that it's also set 37 years before Aliens. The story will involve a group of space colonists who come face-to-face with a deadly Xenomorph while investigating a lost spaceship. Adding to the more "old-school" feel is the use of practical effects over CGI, making the Xenomorph scarier than ever.

Given that the movie is meant to be narratively independent, it's unlikely that the ship in Alien: Romulus will be directly tied to any seen in the first Alien movie or even Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Since the movie isn't out yet, it remains to be seen if plot points from Romulus will be built upon in future movies. At the same time, the title of Alien: Romulus will have a mythological connection, somewhat similar to Prometheus. How this will truly manifest likely depends on how well the film performs, especially since Alien: Covenant was something of a box office disappointment. If the new film is successful, it will possibly receive direct sequels that tie things more firmly to the events of Aliens. Regardless of this performance, there will also be an additional prequel comic for Alien: Romulus released later in 2024.

Are the Alien vs. Predator Movies Canon?

The two Alien vs. Predator movies are not canon to the events of the mainline Alien films, and they're meant more as fun romps that pit the two extraterrestrial species against each other. The events of the films directly contradict established Alien lore, especially given what was revealed in Prometheus. For instance, the first Alien vs. Predator movie is shown as taking place in the same year as it came out: 2004. This doesn't match up with Prometheus, which showed that the Xenomorph species didn't even exist in a primordial form until 2089.

Likewise, it had no ties to the Predator films, which conversely are in a different canon than Alien. Thus, the crossover movie and its sequel have no bearing on the other films, including the upcoming Alien: Romulus. Both of the Alien vs. Predator movies received largely negative reviews, and they were seen as disappointing combinations of the two iconic franchises. Part of the issue was the lack of true horror, namely in the first movie. Compared to Alien, the Predator franchise as a whole is more mixed in terms of reception, with the original film, Predators and the more recent prequel Prey being outliers compared to the negative reaction to Predator 2 and The Predator. Regardless, these films are merely optional and don't have to be watched in order to enjoy the story of the new film Alien: Romulus.

Alien: Romulus

Sci-Fi

Horror

Alien: Romulus follows a group of space explorers who discover an uncharted planet with a dark secret. As they investigate, they are hunted by deadly xenomorphs and uncover ancient ruins revealing the planet's terrifying history. The crew must use their skills and technology to survive the relentless attacks and find a way to escape the hostile environment.

Director

Fede Alvarez

Release Date

August 16, 2024

Cast

Isabela Merced , Cailee Spaeny , David Jonsson , Archie Renaux

Writers

Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O'Bannon , Ronald Shusett

Main Genre

Horror