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A Complete Guide To The Alien Cinematic Universe

When Dan O’Bannon first conceived of his science fiction/action/horror story - about an alien hunting a crew through a spaceship – he could little have known that his idea would lead to a multi-billion-dollar multimedia franchise, one that would still be adding instalments over four decades and counting. That simple premise for Alien – which, in its execution, was essentially a haunted house horror film set in space – launched novelizations, video games, comic books and, most crucially, an ongoing film series that now mixes genre and franchise to build its cohesive universe.

The Spinoffs

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The idea for an onscreen conflict between Xenomorphs and Predators was born within the pages of Dark Horse Comics, in Dark Horse Presents #34-36, beginning in 1989. By 1990, when the film Predator 2 was released, eagle-eyed fans were excited to spot a Xenomorph skull displayed in a Predator trophy collection in one particular scene. With this single detail included in set dressing, director Stephen Hopkins (bolstered by stacks of cross-over success in further comics) swung the doors of the universe wide, and confirmed that these iconic space villains have as long and as complex a history as Xenomorphs and humans do.

This gave rise to a vast range of Alien vs. Predator themed novelizations and video games – and eventually, a pair of movies. Though neither of the two current entries into the spinoff section of the Alien Universe has been particularly successful, the now traditional nod to this inter-species conflict appeared once more in 2010’s Predators – with more Xenomorph skulls being seen on display.

While Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver have both been heard to distance themselves from the concept of these spinoffs, the story of the first Alien vs. Predator film was written by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett (along with director Paul W.S. Anderson), so its credentials are sound. They’re both also technically prequels to the core films, too, because in the timeline of the Alien Universe, they’re set well before the events of 1979’s Alien. In fact, they both occur in the space between the opening sequence of Prometheus (the origins of humanity), and the beginning of its first act (2089).

Speculation about the prospect of a third Alien vs. Predator film continues to simmer within the fandom, but attention has now turned to Shane Black’s highly anticipated film The Predator, due for release in 2018. If he includes a shot of a Xenomorph skull in a trophy collection, however, we can undoubtedly expect a surge in Alien vs. Predator chatter.

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