Alien: Romulus — release date, teaser, cast and everything we know about the Alien reboot

Cailee Spaeny in Alien: Romulus
Cailee Spaeny in Alien: Romulus (Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

You just can't keep the Xenomorphs down, as the iconic movie monsters are back to terrorize an all-new crew in the 2024 new movie Alien: Romulus. A cast of young rising stars is leading the way in this latest spinoff of the franchise that started all the way back in 1979.

Ridley Scott has long been the shepherd of the Alien franchise, directing the original and then returning with the two most recent movies — Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Just how (or if) those movies will connect with Alien: Romulus at all is yet to be determined, but 20th Century Studios describes this iteration as taking the franchise "back to its roots."

Find out what that means, as well as all the other key information around Alien: Romulus, right here.

Alien: Romulus release date

Alien: Romulus is premiering exclusively in movie theaters on August 16, which makes the sci-fi/horror/thriller movie one of the most anticipated summer blockbusters of the year.

Alien: Romulus is sharing its release date with the second part of the Kevin Costner western epic Horizon: An American Saga.

Alien: Romulus cast

The cast of Alien: Romulus is not only a fresh start with entirely new characters for the franchise, but it is made up entirely of young, rising stars in Hollywood.

We don't have specific character details yet, but the actors that are set to be terrorized by the aliens are Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), David Jonsson (Murder Is Easy), Archie Reaux (Shadow and Bone), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Spike Fearn (Aftersun) and Aileen Wu, making their big screen debut in Alien: Romulus.

Alien: Romulus plot

Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues co-wrote the script for Alien: Romulus. Here is the official synopsis:

"While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe."

Alien: Romulus trailer

20th Century Studio has released the first teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus, which plays up the horror aspects of the movie, which definitely invokes some memories of the first Alien movie (though that's a lot more face huggers). Watch the teaser right here: 

Fede Alvarez movies

Horror is a genre that Fede Alvarez is very familiar with, having directed some highly acclaimed scary movies in his career. Here is a rundown of all of the movies that Alvarez has directed thus far in his career: 

  • Evil Dead (2013)
  • Don't Breathe (2016)
  • The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)

Alien: Romulus poster

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.