Science fiction fans everywhere are abuzz with excitement over the upcoming release of Alien: Romulus. Set to release on August 16, 2024, Romulus will be the first film in the franchise since 2017’s Alien: Covenant. It has been established that the upcoming entry in the Alien franchise will take place between the first two films: Alien and Aliens. These two are widely considered the best in the franchise, and rank among the best sci-fi movies of all time. Even though later sequels, as well as the eventual prequels, were not as well-received, almost all the films share a common thread: the true enemy behind the scenes.
In the first two Alien movies, the characters find themselves pitted against the titular xenomorph. However, the ones who put them in this position are a much more sinister force: the Weyland-Yutani corporation. At its heart, the Alien franchise is about capitalistic greed, and how corporations are willing to sacrifice bystanders to make a profit. And, considering both its place in the timeline and the legacy of the franchise, Alien: Romulus should employ the same theme.
What Is the Weyland-Yutani Corporation?
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The Weyland Corporation’s Accomplishments |
Date |
|---|---|
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Created an infinite source of renewable energy via solar panels orbiting Earth at an axial tilt. |
March 2015 |
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Stops global warming by creating a synthetic atmosphere at the North Pole. |
February 2016 |
|
Peter Weyland wins a Nobel Prize for his work in curing several major cancers. |
February 2023 |
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Weyland builds the first advanced android prototype, named “David.” |
January 2024 |
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Continues NASA’s Kepler project and discovers over 4,000 planets compatible with life. |
2026 |
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Wins a legal battle with the Yutani corporation over the android patent. |
December 2029 |
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Acquires several other companies, increasing holdings in defense, aerospace technology, and other fields. |
2032 |
Audiences don’t get much of an answer to this question in the first few Alien movies. All viewers know is that they are one of humanity’s biggest megacorporations, and deal in a little bit of everything. In Aliens, the company’s villainy is represented by Carter J. Burke (Paul Reiser), the main antagonistic force. But in most of the other films, they are a faceless enemy. And for the most part, we don’t need the details. Weyland-Yutani wants a xenomorph for its potential to increase their massive wealth, and they’re willing to accept a few deaths as collateral. That’s all the audience needs to understand.
Later material in the franchise, though, expands on the company’s origins and undertakings. Started by Peter Weyland in 2012, the Weyland Corporation initially focused on creating renewable energy and ending climate change. Weyland then used the money he earned to acquire technology from NASA, and began exploring the possibilities of space travel. He manufactured android prototypes, precursors to those seen in the original movies. Eventually, though, Weyland’s health began to fail, and he began a quest for immortality. In the 2012 prequel movie Prometheus, an aging Peter Weyland funds the expedition that the film follows. Sometime after his death, the Weyland Corporation underwent a merger with the Japanese Yutani corporation, creating the Weyland-Yutani of the original films.
Even though the prequel movies put a face to the name “Weyland,” they portrayed a very different type of enemy from their predecessors. Peter Weyland himself, not some corporate entity, is the impetus behind the events. It’s his personal ambitions of immortality that serve as the driving force.
Ultimately, as Ridley Scott himself has said, the prequels tell a different kind of story from the main Alien movies. In Alien and its sequels, events always tie back to the Weyland-Yutani corporation; in the prequels, it’s Peter Weyland himself. And considering that Alien: Romulus takes place between the first and second movies, it’s clear which is more likely — and better suited — to play the role of villain here.
Weyland-Yutani’s Potential
Peter Weyland dies in Prometheus, which takes place long before the original Alien film. By the time Romulus takes place, he’s no longer alive to act as an antagonist. From an in-universe perspective, it simply makes more sense that the corporation, rather than the individual, will play a role in the story. However, there are other reasons why the corporate entity should make a comeback.
From its placement in the timeline alone, it’s likely that Romulus intends to expand on the events and themes of Alien and Aliens. Setting up an evil corporation as the force behind the scenes, rather than a person, would fall in line thematically. The first two movies in the franchise are outstanding not just for their suspense, action, and portrayal of sci-fi creatures, but for the believable motives of the films’ true antagonists. The theme of corporate greed destroying human lives is just as relevant today, and Romulus should not shy away from it.
At the time of writing, little is known about the plot of Alien: Romulus, so the specifics of Weyland-Yutani’s role are open for speculation. From what has been revealed so far, fans know that the movie will focus on a young group of colonizers on a derelict space station, where they encounter a dangerous creature. The teaser trailer shows the familiar facehuggers, so this creature is most likely the xenomorph. Perhaps these colonizers are employees of or contractors with Weyland-Yutani, who is funding an expedition to create human colonies away from Earth. The film’s name may act as another hint in that direction: Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome. Perhaps Weyland-Yutani intends to build an empire, and the xenomorph is standing in the way…or is a key piece of the puzzle. Either way, main character Rain Carradine and her crew are likely sent into its path on purpose.
But according to that legend of the founding of Rome, Romulus killed his twin brother Remus when the latter insulted his new city. Such a fate does not bode well for the film’s main characters. After all, Weyland-Yutani is perfectly content to sacrifice lives for their greater good (or greater profit). This may well be what the corporation intends for Alien: Romulus‘ team of heroes, unless they can fight back the same way Ellen Ripley did.
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