Alien: Romulus' Timeline Makes 1 Forgotten Franchise Entry Essential

Summary Alien: Romulus promises a return to the visceral horror of the original Alien movie, with a focus on survival in a claustrophobic setting.

Alien: Isolation, set 5 years before Romulus, provides a clear map of what to expect in terms of design and tone for the new movie.

Despite being set between Alien and Aliens, Romulus is a standalone story, unlikely to have direct ties to Alien: Isolation's narrative.

Alien: Romulus, so far, is one of the most intriguing additions to the Alien franchise, and it's even more exciting that its timeline makes one forgotten piece of media essential viewing before the new Alien movie drops. The first few trailers for Alien: Romulus have promised a return to the visceral horror and claustrophobic setting of the first movie. The seeming simplicity of Romulus' story setup is a welcome change after Ridley Scott's last few entries, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, got too bogged down in the universe's lore.

Despite that, it's hard to say exactly what the story of Alien: Romulus will be like judging solely by the movies as it takes place 20 years, chronologically, after the events of the first Alien movie and 37 years before the events of Aliens. With multiple decades bracketing Romulus on either side, it's expected that certain elements, from the equipment to the reference characters, will be considerably changed from movie to movie. There is, however, one entry in the larger media franchise that can give audiences clues as to what to expect from Alien: Romulus.

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Alien: Isolation Is The Best Look At Alien: Romulus' Time Period

Isolation Is Set 5 Years Before Romulus

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The survival horror game Alien: Isolation was released in 2014, and though it's a game rather than a movie, it can still provide the clearest map of what to expect from Alien: Romulus, as can the animated Alien: Isolation web series. Romulus' in-universe setting between Alien and Aliens is not unique in the franchise: Isolation did it first. Tonally and visually, Isolation could inform audiences about what to expect from the look and feel of Romulus, as it's also set between the events of the first movie and its sequel. The design of the game will arguably be the closest of any other entry in the Alien franchise, whether a movie or another medium, to Romulus' overall design.

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A deliberate choice was made during the creation of Alien: Isolation to have it hew more closely to the grimier, lo-fi look of Ridley Scott's original 1979 Alien than James Cameron's slightly shinier, hi-tech Aliens in 1986. Likewise, the gameplay itself was more reminiscent of Alien, with the player having to rely more on defensive stealth and subterfuge to survive rather than action-oriented offense like Aliens. It heavily emphasized the survival part of survival horror. While it's hard to say what Romulus' story will ultimately be, the first few trailers for the movie certainly seem to indicate it will be returning to Alien's true survival horror roots. If that's the case, then much can be taken not just from Alien: Isolation's setting and design, but also the general flow of the story.

Will Alien: Isolation Impact Romulus' Story?

Fede Álvarez Has Said Romulus Is A Standalone Story

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That said, while Alien: Isolation can inform, it's unlikely that Isolation will have any tangible impact on Alien: Romulus' story. Alien: Isolation takes place 15 years after the events of the original story. The narrative catalyst is the flight recorder of Ellen Ripley's ship, the Nostromo, being located. With this revelation, Amanda Ripley, Ellen Ripley's daughter, sets out for the space station Sevastopol, where the recorder is, to investigate her mother's disappearance and how it might be linked to what was on the recorder. When she arrives, she learns there is a Xenomorph on board and she must survive.

Movie Release Date Alien May 25, 1979 Aliens July 18, 1986 Alien 3 May 22, 1992 Alien Resurrection November 26, 1997 Alien vs. Predator August 13, 2004 Alien vs. Predator: Requiem December 25, 2007 Prometheus June 8, 2012 Alien: Covenant May 19, 2017 Alien: Romulus August 16, 2024

The events of the game are canon, which means it likely won't have many, if any, direct ties to the story of Romulus. Director Fede Álvarez and marketing have emphasized Alien: Romulus' standalone nature. Considering that, trying to tie it back to Alien: Isolation would likely create a mess of canon issues, so it's smart that Álvarez has chosen to make his story a spinoff story rather than one that ties to the Ripley family narrative. However, that doesn't mean that there may not be nods to Isolation. Certainly, some of the weaponry and equipment may be the same, with Alien: Romulus being set just five years after the events of Isolation. It would be fun to get a passing reference to Ellen or Amanda Ripley, but considering how adamant Álvarez has been about not overcomplicating the narrative, it's unlikely.