We’re checking back in with the world of sci-fi after a busy weekend.
We’ve gotten another look atAlien: Romulusand some interesting insight intoDoctor Who. It was a big weekend for sequels, and there’s more of those to come. Here’s the latest.
Meet your facehugger
April 26th has been calledAlienDay as a reference to LV-426, the planet where the Xenomorph first made its appearance in the original movie. This year also happens to be the 45th anniversary of the original film’s release, so writer and director Fede Álvarez gave us a look at some of the special effects being used to create the upcomingAlien: Romulus.
Playing with my favorite toy on set of#AlienRomuluslast summer. RC Facehugger created by the amazing team from@wetaworkshopHappy#AlienDayeverybody!pic.twitter.com/XKqc5StFtR
Álvarez showed off the coolest little mechanical facehugger. It’s operated by a remote control, so it can actually chase down potential victims. TheAliensequels have been fairly hit or miss, but the fact thatRomulusfeatures practical effects like this has me more than a little excited to check it out.
Russell T. Davies on representation in Doctor Who
The next season ofDoctor Whowill be Ncuti Gatwa’s first outing as the beloved character, but it’s a return to business-as-usual for showrunner Russell T. Davies. Back in 2005, Davies worked as showrunner on theDoctor Whoreboot series, and he continued working on the show all through 2011 when star David Tenant left the series.
Speaking withRadioTimesat the London premiere of the new season, Davies opened up about his experience working on the show and commented on the praise he’s received for bringing LGBTQ+ representation into the long running series. “And I kind of [am] rather bemused when people say you’re representing things now, because I think that’s just people I live with, and know and love.” He went on to say, “I thinkDoctor Who’s a great big open door for everyone to come and see.” Hopefully Davies’s new take on the series recaptures the old magic of his original run.
Dune 2 and Godzilla X Kong win more at the box office
This past weekend was a big one for sci-fi sequels. According toVarietyDune 2passed a major box office milestone. The movie has officially raked in $700 million globally. At the same time,Godzilla X Kongcrossed the $500 million mark, and it’s been in theaters for a full month less than Denis Villeneuve’sDunesequel. This is great news for fans of both franchises, as well as Warner Bros. of course, but it does mean that a little more fuel just got tossed on the never-ending sequels trend. That said, if the glut of sequels we’ve gotten over the past decade had all been as good asDune 2, I probably wouldn’t be complaining.
Jeff Bridges is returning to Tron
According toDeadline, there’s some big news forTronfans: Jeff Bridges is coming back. He’ll presumably be reprising his role fromTronandTron: Legacy, but since we still don’t have many details about the upcoming movie, there’s always a chance that he’ll be playing an alternate version of Kevin Flynn.
Tron: Areshas been in some stage of development ever sinceTron: Legacydebuted all the way back in 2010. Needless to say, the movie has gone through several iterations, but the current version is being directed by Joachim Rønning and stars Jared Leto alongside Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson. That’s quite a cast, and on October 25th, 2025, we’ll see if they can pull off aTronsequel that does the franchise justice.
