When the sequel to Alien: Romulus continues Rain and Andy’s adventures, it can do something with the xenomorphs that no previous Alien movie has done. 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell has confirmed that a sequel to Alien: Romulus is in development. They’re in talks with Fede Álvarez to return as the director, and it seems as though Asbell recognizes what worked so well the first time. He wants to continue the story of Rain and Andy, the sole survivors played by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, and see where their intergalactic journey takes them next.

The reason why Alien: Romulus worked so well is that the audience genuinely cared about the characters. Rain’s fierce protectiveness of her android brother made her easy to root for. Spaeny proved to be every bit the badᴀss action hero that Sigourney Weaver was before her, and Jonsson’s endearing awkwardness made Andy one of the most sympathetic synths in the entire franchise. It’s a promising sign that Asbell wants to keep the sequel focused on these characters. But ultimately, the stars of the Alien saga are the aliens themselves — and the Romulus sequel can do something its predecessors never did.

Alien: Romulus’ Sequel Can See The Xenomorphs Attacking Out In The Open

What If Yvaga III Is Secretly Infested With Xenomorphs?

All throughout Alien: Romulus, Rain, Andy, and their friends are trying to escape their dreary mining colony and make it to Yvaga III, where they can finally lead prosperous lives and see sunlight for the first time ever. They only stop at the Renaissance station to pick up the cryosleep chambers they’ll need to make the trip. Unfortunately, the station turns out to be full of bloodthirsty xenomorphs and two-thirds of the group don’t survive this stopover. After surviving the ordeal, Rain and Andy will surely head straight to their original destination.

But the sequel would be pretty boring if Yvaga III is the peaceful utopia they hope it’ll be. This is an Alien movie after all; at a certain point, the xenomorphs will have to show up and start killing people. What if they get to Yvaga III and it turns out to be infested with xenomorphs? This would give the movie a chance to have xenomorphs out in the open, attacking people on large, spacious plains where there’s nowhere to hide. This would be a first for the Alien franchise.

The Alien Movies Have All Taken Place In Confined And Empty Spaces

There Was One Brief Sequence Out In The Open, But That’s It

Having the xenomorphs out in the open, roaming free, would be a brand-new conceit for an Alien movie. Every previous Alien movie has taken place in confined spaces, like the Nostromo in Alien or the Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit in Alien 3. This has been great for building a sense of claustrophobia, but it’s become a familiar formula. Alien: Romulus repeated this claustrophobic formula by trapping its protagonists aboard the Renaissance station, but the sequel has a chance to get out in the open.

There have been a couple of exceptions to the Alien franchise’s formulaic confinement. In the third act of Alien: Covenant, a xenomorph is seen out on the range before it hides inside the ship and starts picking off the crew, but that’s about it. There’s never been a full Alien movie or an extended section of one set out in the open on the surface of a foreign planet. If the Alien: Romulus sequel has a swarm of xenomorphs out on the plains of Yvaga III, then it can subvert the usual formula and do something new.

Yvaga III Being Attacked By Xenomorphs Would Make Rain’s Story Even Better

Rain Has Been Dreaming About Yvaga III, So This Would Be The Ultimate Tragedy

Rain already has a great story from Alien: Romulus — she’s a hard worker undervalued by a megacorporation, a disadvantaged orphan who’s had to make it on her own, and a protective sister who will do whatever it takes to keep her brother safe from bullies and computer viruses — but the sequel has the chance to make her story even better. The first movie established that she’s always dreamed about seeing the sun. She’s created this image of what Yvaga III is like; she pictures a perfect paradise that will solve all her problems.

If she finally makes it to Yvaga III and finds that it’s not paradise after all, then the Alien: Romulus sequel can make Rain’s story much more tragic. She’s had nothing but hardship and obstacles to overcome throughout her entire life, and the only thing that got her through was hope that Yvaga III would make it all okay. If Yvaga III is a xenomorph-infested nightmare, she’ll have to really dig deep to find the courage to get through it.