In anticipation of the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott's Alien, last year Fox and Tongal opened submissions for original pitches set in the Alien universe. Out of more than 550 pitches, six ideas were turned into official short films, and ahead of their wide release on IGN this March, a trailer for the new short films has now been revealed, showing us that nearly 40 years after the release of the original film, in space, no one can still hear you scream.
Press Release: March 13, 2019 – From the first heart-racing Chestburster scene to the last horrifying Xenomorph attack, ALIEN has terrified audiences around the world for decades, building a loyal fanbase with its unforgettable moments of jump-scare suspense, acid-bleeding Aliens, and strong female heroines. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of this groundbreaking sci-fi horror film, Twentieth Century Fox Film partnered with global creative community Tongal to offer die-hard fans an opportunity to develop and produce wholly original shorts set in the world of ALIEN.
After reviewing over 550 pitches from filmmakers, six final stories were chosen. The filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the franchise, including storytelling elements, creatures, and characters, to bring a new, terrifying experience to life for audiences. Each of the six shorts brings forth an exciting new narrative for fans while paying homage to the original film.
Rollout of the six shorts will begin this week, with exclusive fan screenings of the first four at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle on Friday, March 15th, followed by C2E2 in Chicago on Saturday, March 23rd. The final two shorts, both helmed by female filmmakers, will screen exclusively for fans at WonderCon on Saturday, March 30th, followed by a moderated panel with the directors. The shorts will be released weekly on IGN, starting on March 29th. Then, beginning May 3rd, they will be available on the official @AlienAnthology social channels and AlienUniverse.com, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
ALIEN: 40th Anniversary Shorts Synopses:
ALIEN: Alone - Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life. Written and Directed by Noah Miller
ALIEN: Containment - Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected. Written and Directed by Chris Reading
ALIEN: Harvest - The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along. Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell
ALIEN: Night Shift - When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands. Written and Directed by Aidan Breznick
ALIEN: Ore - As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family. Written and Directed by the Spear Sisters
ALIEN: Specimen - It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host. Directed by Kelsey Taylor
In addition to the shorts series, Fox has launched several other exciting initiatives around the 40th Anniversary of the premiere of the original ALIEN film. The USC School of Cinematic Arts is currently hosting a special exhibit of elements from all six films in the ALIEN franchise, including concept art by Academy Award winner H.R. Giger, plus costumes, props, memorabilia, and fan art. Everything ALIEN will culminate in a 24-hour, worldwide celebration on ALIEN DAY, Friday, April 26th. Join the conversation and follow @AlienAnthology on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, and dive deeper into the terrifying world of ALIEN on AlienUniverse.com.
About Twentieth Century Fox Film
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of Twentieth Century Fox Film: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Fox Family.About Tongal
Tongal has organized a new wave of talent for a new wave of channels. Powered by a global creative community and a proprietary technology platform, the company connects studios, networks and brands to creators around the world to develop video content and program every digital platform—from YouTube to SVOD. Tongal partners include National Geographic, LEGO, Mattel, Macy’s, NASA, Disney and NBCUniversal. The private company is headquartered in Santa Monica and is backed by Insight Venture Partners. More information can be found at www.tongal.com/business.About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment is the leading Internet media company focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. IGN reaches more than 225 million monthly users and is followed by more than 16 million subscribers on YouTube and 35 million users on social platforms. IGN also publishes daily content on Snapchat Discover. Established in 1996, IGN is operated by digital media company Ziff Davis, LLC, a subsidiary of j2 Global, Inc. IGN is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Sydney and London. IGN content is localized in 26 languages and 115 countries and hosted on websites and native applications on mobile, connected TV, and Xbox and PlayStation platforms. For more information, visit www.IGN.com and follow @IGN on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
