The infamous xenomorph will face up against a younger and less seasoned space crew in Alien: Romulus, which could heighten the cosmic horror of the movie. Alien: Romulus, which is scheduled to hit theaters on August 16, 2024, centers on a group of twentysomething space colonists who investigate an abandoned space station and eventually come across the universe’s most terrifying lifeform. The plot aims to combine the styles and tones of the two beloved films, Alien and Aliens, and will take place somewhere in the decades that separate them.

Director Fede Álvarez, who previously helmed Don’t Breathe and the Evil Dead reboot, recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his approach to Alien: Romulus. He explained how he’ll honor the franchise’s legacy, with a claustrophobic atmosphere and a fresh take on familiar iconography like the facehugger, but he also explained how this movie will differ from the previous entries in the series. Specifically, Álvarez is focusing on younger characters with less experience in space, which he believes will be more relatable to audiences who have similarly limited experience with the horrors of outer space.