For decades, the Alien series has terrified, fascinated, and inspired audiences, from Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic horror, to James Cameron’s survival spectacle, to the philosophical questions raised in Prometheus. But with so many reboots and reimaginings in the modern landscape, how do you keep a franchise like Alien alive and relevant?
Enter Alien Earth. Showrunner Noah Hawley takes on the challenge of reinventing the universe for television, crafting a story that blends the primal fear of the Xenomorph with new existential themes, corporate dystopias, and some of the boldest creature designs the series has seen.
This video breaks down why Alien Earth might be the perfect evolution of the franchise — one that honors its legacy while pushing its mythology and transmedia storytelling into new territory.
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pdO0-2q–M
For those of you exploring transmedia storytelling:
How do you think long-running franchises can successfully reinvent themselves across new formats like TV, games, or immersive worlds, without losing what made them iconic in the first place?
2 people like this
I'm looking forward to seeing Alien Earth, Ashley Renee Smith! I've been waiting for all the episodes to come out before I watch it.
I think a long-running franchise can successfully reinvent itself across new formats without losing what made it iconic by building upon what's already in the franchises, tying the franchise into what people relate to at that moment in time, setting the stories in new locations, adding characters, and coming up with new storylines, threats, etc.
1 person likes this
I’ve always loved the Alien franchise; Ashley Renee Smith it’s iconic, and there are a few key tricks that help keep franchises fresh: genre blending, adding more action for interactive play, introducing new characters and creatures, shifting the time period, and creating multiple potential protagonists or antagonists to branch out from. I especially love villains as main characters; they flip the narrative, challenge morality, and often reveal deeper truths than heroes ever could. Gradually attaching A-list talent and expanding the creature mythology also helps scale the world and keep audiences invested across formats.