According to director Fede Álvarez, Alien: Romulus could have had a completely different opening, and its concept would have copied 1987’s Predator. Released in 2024, Alien: Romulus is a spin-off movie that follows a group of young space colonists with a desire to leave their home, as they encounter various alien creatures while scavenging an abandoned space station. Alien: Romulus featured an entirely new cast of characters, including Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine, and David Jonsson as her adopted android brother, Andy. Furthermore, the film marked the first Alien movie to be released in the franchise since 2017’s Alien: Covenant.

Despite the spin-off being a risky venture, as the Alien franchise has had a dedicated fan base since Ridley Scott’s first film in 1979, Alien: Romulus was a critical and commercial success. Álvarez’s sci-fi horror movie earned $350.9 million at the box office worldwide against a $80 million production budget. The movie acted as a love letter to the franchise, with Alien: Romulus containing many easter eggs and references, while also bringing something new to the table. However, director Álvarez revealed that Alien: Romulus’ original planned opening could have changed the movie’s trajectory entirely.

Alien: Romulus Wouldn’t Have Revealed It Was An Alien Movie

An Alien Egg Would Reveal Alien Franchise’s Connection 30 Minutes In

In an interview with Collider, Fede Álvarez said that the original idea for Alien: Romulus was that it wouldn’t have revealed that it was an Alien movie until 30 minutes in. Discussions about Alien: Romulus originally began around the time of 2017’s Alien: Covenant, so there was plenty of time to plan the perfect opening to the spin-off movie. However, when Álvarez was asked what type of film he was thinking about, he said, “Why don’t we do it as a spin-off? We don’t say Alien. We just put any random science fiction тιтle.” Check out the full quote below:

“We started talking about this film when Ridley was doing Covenant. That’s when they started talking with Michael Schaefer, who was his right hand at the time. When I pitched this story when they asked me what kind of movie I’d do, what I pitched at the time was, ‘Why don’t we do it as a spin-off? We don’t say Alien. We just put any random science fiction тιтle. We show some kids and some planets somewhere…’

It was this whole thing, ‘And then suddenly they walk into a room, and there’s a f*cking egg.’ Imagine that audience at SXSW finding out on opening night, 30 minutes into the movie, that you’re watching an Alien movie. That was the original plan.”

Álvarez originally wanted to hide Alien: Romulus’ connection to the franchise by misleading viewers into thinking it was a normal science fiction movie with a generic тιтle. However, “30 minutes into the movie,” the audience at SXSW would realize that they were watching an Alien movie when characters “walk into a room, and there’s a f*cking egg.” The director seemingly confirmed, “That was the original plan,” but Alien: Romulus ultimately went in a different direction. Regardless, what is interesting about this initial concept is that the “30 minute” realization would’ve copied a movie from Alien’s sister franchise: 1987’s Predator.

1987’s Predator Famously Changed Its Genre Mid-Film

The Predator Was Revealed 30 Minutes Into Schwarzenegger’s Movie

Alien and Predator have had a long history of crossover and franchise connections, and they have both become equally big IPs in the science fiction genre. 1987’s Predator kickstarted the Predator franchise with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch leading an elite paramilitary rescue team to save hostages from guerrillas in the rain forest. However, the movie had an interesting twist. Around 30 minutes in, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s action movie suddenly flipped genre by revealing Predator, demonstrating that the story wasn’t just about Dutch’s rescue mission, and Predator was actually a sci-fi film about a military group surviving a technologically advanced alien hunter.

Considering Arnold Schwarzenegger had a history of playing action movie characters at the time, most audiences didn’t expect Predator’s sudden genre twist. The genre switch was a game-changer in cinema as audiences were misled, with all signs pointing to another Schwarzenegger action film. Consequently, the sudden reveal of Predator’s presence in the rain forest added a secondary antagonist after the guerrilla fighters were defeated, making audiences realize there was something else at play. Alien: Romulus’ original 30-minute alien egg appearance would have mirrored Predator’s reveal if Fede Álvarez had followed through on the initial plan for the Alien movie.

Why Alien: Romulus’ Predator-Like Twist Wouldn’t Have Worked

Alien: Romulus’ Simple Approach & Franchise Backing Made It Successful

Unfortunately, while it is a cool concept, Alien: Romulus’ Predator-like twist would not have worked for the 2024 Alien movie. In 1987, Predator’s genre shift worked really well because it was such a shock to cinema audiences. Surprisingly, while Predator’s trailers did reveal elements of the Predator, essentially spoiling the surprise, plenty of people were still shocked by Predator as the trailer’s alien was quickly forgotten after 30 minutes of intense guerrilla fighting and build-up without the antagonist appearing. Furthermore, trailers were not as big a spectacle as they are today, so Predator got away with its surprising genre shift.

This 30-minute reveal wouldn’t have worked for Alien: Romulus as, although “that audience at SXSW” would’ve had a nice surprise, the reveal would’ve been quickly spoiled. In this digital age, cinema surprises don’t last long, and it’s not hard to imagine Alien: Romulus’ surprise connection going viral. Furthermore, one of the reasons why Alien: Romulus got such positive reviews was its straightforward approach and Alien feel. Therefore, if Álvarez had stuck to his original Predator-like reveal, it wouldn’t have had the backing of Alien’s IP and the movie would be much more complicated, meaning Alien: Romulus may have flopped.

Sources: Collider