Alien: Romulus - The Exciting Timeline of the New Sequel

The Timeline of Alien: Romulus

Ripley can finally be laid to rest. News regarding the timeline of the upcoming sequel Alien: Romulus has been revealed, with this detail pointing out that the franchise has found the perfect way to move on from Ripley. Ellen Ripley was the main character of the first four Alien movies, with Sigourney Weaver's iconic sci-fi character being one of the reasons why the original films were so successful. However, Ripley sticking around has highlighted the problem that Alien has had with moving on from her, but Alien: Romulus' place in the timeline may be the perfect solution for this issue that has plagued the franchise for a long time now.

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Alien with Flamethrower

Alien: Romulus is the next film in the beloved sci-fi series, with it serving as the third film in the Prometheus series, which is a prequel to the original Alien movies. After the release of the fourth film, Alien Resurrection, the Alien franchise jumped back in time to focus on the origins of the aliens, companies, and characters that the series' story centered around. Alien: Covenant acted as a sequel to Prometheus, continuing to build up to the original Alien film. It has been known for a while that Alien: Romulus will be a prequel as well, but its timeline placement could end up changing the franchise's future.

Concept image of Ripley and the xenomorph in the Alien movies

Alien: Romulus Is Set Between Alien (1979) & Aliens (1986). Cailee Spaeny, star of Alien: Romulus, spoke about the upcoming project while at the Gotham Awards, revealing the exact timeline placement of the film to Variety. According to Spaeny, Alien: Romulus will be set between the events of 1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens, meaning that it serves as a sequel to the original film while acting as a prequel to the beloved second film. This is an incredibly interesting placement in the Alien timeline, as the previous two Alien prequels took place before every mainline film, meaning that there has to be a good reason for Alien: Romulus to be set in this odd window of time.

Carrie Hen's Newt with a xenomorph behind her in Aliens

Ripley's Absence in Alien: Romulus

Ripley Was In Cryosleep For 56 Years Between Alien & Aliens. Setting Alien: Romulus between Alien and Aliens is a big deal, as it rules out any possibility of Ripley appearing in the film. This is because Ripley is in cryosleep during the time period in which Alien: Romulus will be taking place, with Aliens making no mention of her waking up for any further Xenomorph adventures. As the beginning of Aliens reveals, Ripley's escape pod from the original film put her in cryosleep as she flew through space, with her not being rescued by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation until 56 years later. She is the exact same age in both movies, with the cryosleep having halted her life entirely.

Ripley with an Alien in her face in Alien 3

No matter what happens in Alien: Romulus, Ripley's time in cryosleep means that it is impossible for the original character to appear in the film. Ripley is within her escape pod, floating around space completely lost during the events of the film, and having her appear would be a massive contradiction to the events of Aliens. While some fans may be crossing their fingers that Ripley will return, there is almost no way for her to have a role in Alien: Romulus without majorly changing the timeline, meaning that the Alien franchise can finally move on from Ripley.

Ripley looking upset in Alien

Exciting Possibilities for Alien: Romulus

Why Alien: Romulus’ Timeline Setting Is So Exciting. Setting Alien: Romulus at this point in the Alien timeline is immensely exciting, as it opens up a lot of possibilities for the upcoming film. Due to it being set in between Alien and Aliens, that means that Alien: Romulus can explore the 56-year time gap that hasn't been previously seen in the franchise. Alien: Romulus can explore the aftermath of the original film or the events that led up to the story of Aliens, allowing it to maintain a connection with the original films while also being distinctly its own.

Ripley and Newt in Aliens.

While the real Ripley can't return in Alien: Romulus, the film's timeline placement also means that Ripley clones can't appear either. A clone of Ripley that contains parts of the Queen Xenomorph's DNA is the main character of Alien Resurrection, with it being revealed that the military has made clones of her. This would be one way for Ripley to return in future movies, but since she is in cryosleep at this point in the timeline, her DNA hasn't been collected yet. Thus, there is no possible way for any version of Ripley to return in Alien: Romulus - and that's a good thing.

Ripley attending a traumatized Newt in Aliens