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A Quiet Place: Day One director is tiptoeing toward an Alien: Romulus sequel

The Quiet Place prequel director, Michael Sarnoski, may be about to learn that in space, no one can hear you scream. Man, I bet his previous characters had those acoustics

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Fri Mar 13 2026

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Sorry xenomorph fans, Fede Álvarez won't be directing the Alien: Romulus sequel. I know, it's a bummer, but already it looks like 20th Century Studios is expertly handling the Evil Dead remake director's exit from helming duties. At least, that's what the rumors of a new, particularly experienced director would suggest, a director who's responsible for another standout franchise horror entry that's made huge waves this decade.

That is, A Quiet Place: Day One's Michael Sarnoski.

The story comes from Nexus Point News, who reported on Sarnoski's consideration for the role of next Alien director March 11. As you might expect, the outlet also points out some similarities between the two franchises - namely, that the horror of both Alien and A Quiet Place stem from an extraterrestrial, deeply inhuman threat. But if you ask me, if Sarnoski gets the gig, I'll be looking forward to the moments that are, in fact, deeply human.

See, along with his venture into the universe of A Quiet Place, Sarnoski also made what I thought was one of the most emotional films of the past couple years - the Nicolas Cage-starring drama Pig. In case you haven't seen it, it's the story of a man who must return to his abandoned past after his best friend, a truffle-hunting pig, is stolen from him. Maybe I'm just a sucker for animal friendships or maybe I'm just a sucker for Nicolas Cage, but either way, I'm certainly sitting here wondering if I'm not going to feel a sense of kinship with the xenomorph in the next Alien installment.

A Quiet Place: Day One is streaming now on Paramount+, while Alien: Romulus is on Hulu.

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.