Disney's Alien TV show recruits our favorite (space) cowboy Timothy Olyphant
There's no Mandalorian to help him this time around, we're afraid
Noah Hawley's Alien TV series for FX and Disney is waiting to restart production in early 2024 after the SAG-AFTRA strike shut it down, but that doesn't mean its cast can't keep evolving.
Deadline had the exclusive on Monday that the long-anticipated sci-fi series had enlisted none other than Timothy Olyphant, who had already worked with Hawley as a recurring character on season 4 of the critically acclaimed Fargo series. The actor is also familiar with sci-fi adventures and space settings, as he became part of the Star Wars universe in 2020 with a guest role in The Mandalorian season 2's first episode, later reappearing in The Book of Boba Fett. His role hasn't been officially unveiled, but Deadline has heard word that "he plays Kirsh, a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer for (Sydney) Chandler's Wendy, who is a hybrid, a meta-human who has the brain and consciousness of a child but the body of an adult."
Olyphant is joining a main cast that, besides Sydney Chandler (Don't Worry Darling), also includes "Alex Lawther (Andor) as a soldier named CJ, Samuel Blenkin (Sandman) as Boy Kavalier, a CEO, as well as Essie Davis (Babadook) as Dame Silvia, Adarsh Gourav (Guns & Gulaabs) as Slightly, and Kit Young (Shadow and Bone) as Tootles."
The first-ever Alien series is produced by Ridley Scott and set in "a time period before Sigourney Weaver's Ripley... the first story in the franchise that takes place on Earth, roughly 70 years in the future." Well, that's if you don't count Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), though we totally understand wanting to forget about that movie. The story is said to focus on a subject which Scott already explored in his two prequel movies: that of synthetics and AI. But of course, expect plenty of rampant corporatism and a dark future. How do the xenomorphs factor into all this, especially if the series is set on Earth? Who knows, but with Noah Hawley as the creator, you'd be wise to expect the unexpected.
FX's Alien TV series isn't the only project fans of the iconic sci-fi horror franchise should be looking forward to, as Marvel is doubling down on the xenos and Fede Álvarez's standalone movie is right around the corner too.
