Alien: Earth premieres with two episodes on August 12 at 8pm ET on Hulu, and globally on FX and Disney+ at 8pm PT/ET. Subsequent episodes of the eight-part season will be released every Tuesday.

Set in 2120—after the events of Prometheus and just two years before Alien—Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth follows the crash landing of the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot on Earth. A young woman named Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and a group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that brings them face-to-face with the planet's most terrifying threat.

For context, the recent interquel Alien: Romulus is set between Alien and Aliens.

At this point in the Alien timeline, Earth is dominated by five powerful corporations: Weyland-Yutani (the franchise's primary antagonist), Prodigy, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. Cyborgs and synthetics live alongside humans, until the CEO of Prodigy introduces hybrids—humanoid robots infused with human consciousness. Wendy is the first hybrid prototype, embodying the series' recurring theme of the pursuit of immortality.

One intriguing detail: after a Weyland-Yutani vessel crashes into Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter life forms "more horrifying than anyone could have imagined."

This hints at the presence of creatures beyond the Xenomorph—or perhaps new Xenomorph variants. Reports suggest a total of five monster types.

Here is the official synopsis:

In 2120, Earth is ruled by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, humans coexist with cyborgs (part biological, part machine) and synthetics (AI-driven humanoid robots). Everything changes when the prodigious Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation introduces a breakthrough: hybrids, humanoid robots embedded with human consciousness. The first prototype, Wendy, represents a leap forward in the quest for eternal life. When a Weyland-Yutani ship collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and her fellow hybrids confront mysterious life forms more terrifying than anything ever imagined.

Alien: Earth Cast:

Sydney Chandler (Wendy), Timothy Olyphant (Kirsh), Alex Lawther (Hermit), Samuel Blenkin (Boy Kavalier), Babou Ceesay (Morrow), Adrian Edmondson (Atom Eins), David Rysdahl (Arthur Sylvia), Essie Davis (Dame Sylvia), Lily Newmark (Nibs), Erana James (Curly), Adarsh Gourav (Slightly), Jonathan Ajayi (Smee), Kit Young (Tootles), Diêm Camille (Siberian), Moe Bar-El (Rashidi), Sandra Yi Sencindiver (Yutani)

AI Characters (Synthetics) in the Alien Movie Franchise

View 8 Images

In January of last year, showrunner Noah Hawley explained why Alien: Earth does not follow the backstory established in Prometheus, citing his preference for the "retro-futurism" of the original films. Hawley noted that he discussed numerous aspects of the Alien universe with Ridley Scott, including connections to the prequels, but ultimately chose to depart from the bioweapon narrative in favor of the original film’s mythology.

The Alien franchise continues to expand. Alien: Romulus 2 is currently in development, and a new crossover with the Predator series, Predator: Badlands, appears to be underway.