The upcoming FX series Alien: Earth from TV maestro Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) remains mostly shrouded in mystery, but an interesting tidbit just came into focus. Rebecca and Kevin Joelson, the producers behind the show’s teaser trailer, recently shared images and video of how the clip came together.

The biggest surprise is that the trailer’s deadly xenomorph was made via practical effects, not computer-generated images (CGI). In the clip on the Joelsons’ website, an actor is festooned with the xeno’s headpiece, which features sharp teeth and the alien’s iconic inner jaw. The production team’s work was seen in the teaser, which highlighted a reflection of Earth in the xeno’s shiny dome and the tagline: “In 2120, Mother Earth is expecting.”

The show is set two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s beloved Alien and begins after a “mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth,” according to FX. Adhering to the franchise formula of a strong woman who remains cool under pressure, Sydney Chandler plays the show’s protagonist and one of the individuals who discovers the ship. Also starring Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, and Essie Davis, Alien: Earth premieres this summer on Hulu.

Hawley, the creator and writer of Alien: Earth, told the Hollywood Reporter that his show mostly uses practical effects with “some CG.” Fede Alvarez’s theatrical Alien: Romulus from this year also ditched much of the CGI that was a big part of Ridley Scott’s prequel films, especially 2017’s Alien: Covenant. Though criticized for its use of a deep fake to recreate a character from the original Alien, Romulus was a critical and commercial hit, grossing more than $350 million at the international box office.

Alien: Earth, behind the scenes of the teaser
Credit: Courtesy the Joelsons

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