Romulus’ synthesis between 'Alien’ and 'Aliens’, says Kayleigh Spaney

The Gotham Awards is a night to celebrate independent film, but when asked about the project on the red carpet Monday evening, Spaghetti teased 20th Century Studios’ upcoming “Alien: Romulus.” „Priscilla” star Fede Alvarez is leading the revival, which is being described as a stand-alone story set in the „Alien” universe. Now, Spaghetti has confirmed the rumor about its place in the franchise’s sequel.

„It’s supposed to be slotted between the first film and the second film,” Spaney says Variety is Michaela G. “They brought in the same crew from Aliens, the James Cameron movie. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came and built ours. So to see the original design with the original people who have worked on these films for 45-plus years and have had most of their careers is really incredible.

In Ridley Scott’s original 1979 sci-fi horror film, Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley ejects a xenomorph from her escape pods and puts herself into cryogenic sleep for the long journey back to human civilization. Seven years later, James Cameron picked up the story with „Aliens,” which saw Ripley go on a military mission to investigate a possible xenomorph attack on a distant space colony. Whether „Alien: Romulus” is specifically related to Ripley or the events of those first two entries remains uncertain.

„My first film was big-budget sci-fi,” Spaney continues, referring to his role in the 2018 kaiju sequel „Pacific Rim: Uprising.” „I feel like I’m going back to that world. I’m having a lot of fun. I like to do as many different things as I can. So I’ve traded in my high heels and beehives for space suits and a lot of wire work. … I love watching old ’70s, ’80s action sci-fi movies. I’m a fan of that IP and Sigourney Weaver, it was legendary to be a part of.

On the Gothams carpet, Spaney also responded Variety is Lisa Marie Presley reportedly expressed shock and horror over the „Priscilla” script before the film went into production. Elvis Presley’s late daughter, Sofia Coppola, has died four months after sending emails about the film, saying her father was only a predator and manipulator in the project.

“My heart went out to her when I read the news. But I was talking to Priscilla, because that’s who the film was about,” says Spaney. „I was the one playing. That’s where I spent my whole time with her, making sure she felt safe and that she felt represented in telling the story.

Spaney was nominated for Best Lead Performance for „Priscilla” at this year’s Gotham Awards. “Alien: Romulus” is set to hit theaters on August 16, 2024.