Timothy Olyphant Joins the ‘Alien’ TV Series

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(Left) Timothy Olyphant in FX’s ‘Justified.’ (Right) 2012’s ‘Prometheus.’

Preview:

Timothy Olyphant will reunite with ‘Fargo’s Noah Hawley for his ‘Alien’ TV series.
The show will resume filming early next year.
On the big screen front, Cailee Spaeny has offered an update on Fede Alvarez’ ‘Alien’ movie.

Not content with ‘Fargo’ returning for a fifth season, Noah Hawley has been working on his ‘Alien’ prequel TV series for cable channel FX.

And it appears he’s recruited someone who has previously on the darkly comic crime series, as Timothy Olyphant is, according to Deadline, set to take one of the lead roles.

Olyphant, of course, appeared in Season 4 of ‘Fargo’, playing Dick ‘Deafy’ Wickware.

What’s the Story of the ‘Alien’ Series?

2012’s ‘Prometheus.’

So far, very few details have been revealed about the new show. We do know that it’ll factor into the main ‘Alien’ storyline (so has no connection to the ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ movies, which were set on Earth and closer to present day) but located on Earth and taking place roughly 70 years in the future.

Thanks to the Deadline story, we now know that Olyphant is reportedly playing 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. We’d caution that no official confirmation has arrived for that.

Who Else is in the ‘Alien’ Series?

Timothy Olyphant in FX’s ‘Justified.’

Olyphant joins a cast that also includes Alex Lawther as a soldier named CJ, Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, a CEO, as well as Essie Davis as Dame Silvia, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly and Kit Young as Tootles.

And just now, Deadline also reported that fellow ‘Fargo’ veteran (albeit from the current fifth season) David Rysdahl is also aboard for an unknown role.

What’s Happening with the ‘Alien’ Series?

Ridley Scott on the set of 1979’s ‘Alien.’

With ‘Alien’ director (and franchise overseer) Ridley Scott giving his stamp of approval as executive producer, the series kicked off shooting in Thailand on July 19th, just four days into the actors’ strike.

It initially got around the SAG-AFTRA shutdown film utilizing members of the cast who are affiliated with the British actors’ union Equity. But after a little more than a month, it had to stop.

Now, Hawley and his team will apparently gear the cameras back up in early 2024.

‘Alien’ On the Big Screen

(L to R) Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.

Our TV screens are not the only places those crafty xenomorphs are invading. Fede Alvarez has been hard at work on ‘Alien: Romulus’, the latest movie in the franchise.

Now, according to lead Cailee Spaeny (who was back on the press circuit for ‘Priscilla’), we now know when the movie will take place.

Here’s what Spaeny told Variety:

“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie. They brought the same team from ‘Aliens,’ the James Cameron film. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came on and built ours. So, getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible.”

‘Alien: Romulus’ will be in theaters on August 16 next year.