Watch the Terrifying First Trailer for Alien: Romulus

Photo from 20th Century Studios

Having received the cosign from both Ridley Scott and James Cameron, the directors that propelled the original iteration of the Alien franchise to iconic levels, director Fede Alvarez has unveiled the first look at his Alien: Romulus. Excitement surrounding the August theatrical release swells as the film was initially slated to hit Hulu as a streaming release exclusively - however, the prospects of the film and its potential prompted the studio to rethink their approach.

For Alvarez, whose resume includes 2013's reimagining of the Evil Dead franchise and his 2016's masterclass, Don't Breathe, the eighth entry in the Aliens franchise is said to be a return to the film's sci-fi horror/thriller heyday - complete with scenes not for the squeamish and the kind of jump scares that haunt you well after the film's end credits roll. 

The film stars  Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu in a variation of the film that focuses on a group of young space scavengers that face off with a Xenomorph on an uninhabited space craft. Needless to say, the body count begins to stack up as the Xenomorph ultimately gets the best of the crew. 

In terms of the film's homage to the original installments of the franchise, Alvarez ensured the latest addition to the saga not only sourced inspiration from the original chapters of the franchise, but also worked into the storyline with narrative continuity. While details of the plot are scant, the film is said to exist on a narrative timeline between the first and second films. 

Alien: Romulus debuts in theaters August 16th. See the petrifying preview below.