Acclaimed actor Timothy Olyphant was revealed to have joined the cast of Noah Hawley‘s upcoming Alien series.
Deadline reported that the Deadwood lead will be starring opposite Sydney Chandler in the forthcoming show. No official details involving his character have been made known, but the outlet’s sources suggest that he is playing a synth named Kirsh who serves as a mentor to Wendy — Chandler’s meta-human character. This isn’t Olyphant’s first time working with FX, as the actor previously played a recurring character in Fargo Season 4.
The FX Alien series will be the first-ever Alien story set on Earth. According to Hawley, the series will explore the more grounded aspects of the franchise. The director also touched on the inclusion of Weyland-Yutani — the massive corporation that’s found in nearly every Alien property — and how he plans to deliver a series that both captures the horror-action aspect of the Alien franchise and explores other themes established in the world.
Who is writing the Alien FX series?
The untitled Alien series is written and directed by Hawley and stars Alex Lawther, Sydney Chandler (Don’t Worry Darling), Kit Young (Shadow and Bone), Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, Essie Davis (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) as Dame Silvia, and Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) as Slightly. Further details about its plot are still being kept under wraps, but it was reportedly developed as a prequel story set before the Sigourney Weaver-led movies.
The project is executive produced by Hawley, Ridley Scott, and Dana Gonzales, with Chris Lowenstein production. In addition to the upcoming FX series, 20th Century Studios is also set to release a brand new installment to the Alien film franchise titled Alien: Romulus, which hails from director Fede Álvarez.