The release date for Alien: Earth has now finally been confirmed, and there really isn't long left to wait until we can finally watch the first long-form series in the Alien franchise.

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The release date was confirmed just ahead of the first full-length trailer being released, which teases not only the general plot for the show and the five different alien life-forms it will be examining, but also some of the vibes and the horror we can expect.

It's fair to say there's all the screams, running, gore and slime you'd expect from an Alien project – with a bit of a twist put on it all by Legion and Fargo creator Noah Hawley.

The new series is the first project in the Alien franchise to be set primarily on Earth, and it stars Sugar's Sydney Chandler and Justified's Timothy Olyphant. It will arrive on Hulu and Disney Plus later this year, coming not long after 2024's hit film Alien: Romulus.

But as anticipation builds for Alien: Earth, when will it actually be released and what else do we know about it? Read on for everything you need to know about Alien: Earth.

When will Alien: Earth be released?

After a long wait since it was first announced, Alien: Earth will finally debut on Disney Plus on Wednesday 13th August in the UK.

The first two episodes will be released at once, with future instalments arriving weekly on Wednesdays.

What is Alien: Earth about?

Sydney Chandler as Wendy in Alien: Earth
Sydney Chandler as Wendy in Alien: Earth. Patrick Brown/FX

Alien: Earth will be set two years before the events of the first Alien film, and the official synopsis says: "When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.

"As members of the crash recovery crew search for survivors among the wreckage, they encounter mysterious predatory life forms more terrifying than they could have ever imagined. With this new threat unlocked, the search crew must fight for survival and what they choose to do with this discovery could change planet Earth as they know it."

Another, newly released synopsis says: "In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans.

"But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness).

"The first hybrid prototype named ‘Wendy’ (played by Sydney Chandler) marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined."

FX boss John Landgraf previously revealed that the series would be "set not too far into our future", and set it would be a blend of Alien's horror and Aliens's action.

He said: "By blending both the timeless horror of the first Alien film with the non-stop action of the second, it's going to be a scary thrill ride that will blow people back in their seats."

Landgraf also revealed that the show is intended to be "an ongoing series", meaning if the first season is well received and highly viewed it is likely to return for season 2.

More recently, the show's creator Noah Hawley told Deadline: "There’s something about seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes. That is truly chilling to think of it moving here among us, and so I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it — and you’re going to lock your door that night.

"What was really fun for me was to really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to the design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct. But some of the elements as we know, whatever the host is, informs what the final creature is. I just wanted to play around a little bit to make it as scary as it should be."

Who will star in Alien: Earth?

Jonathan Ajayi as Smee, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, Sydney Chandler as Wendy, Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Kit Young as Tootles, Erana James as Curly and Lily Newmark as Nibs in Alien: Earth
Jonathan Ajayi as Smee, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, Sydney Chandler as Wendy, Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Kit Young as Tootles, Erana James as Curly and Lily Newmark as Nibs in Alien: Earth FX

The cast of Alien: Earth will be led by Sydney Chandler, who will play a meta-human Wendy, and Timothy Olyphant, who will play her synth mentor.

Also in the central cast for the series are Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin and Adrian Edmondson, among others.

Meanwhile, a new group of guest stars have been announced, including Never Have I Ever's Richa Moorjani, Severance's Karen Aldridge, The Crown's Enzo Cilenti and Industry's Max Rinehart.

Here's a full list of the central cast for the show:

  • Sydney Chandler as Wendy
  • Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh
  • Alex Lawther as CJ
  • Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier
  • Essie Davis as Dame Silvia
  • Adarsh Gourav as Slightly
  • Kit Young as Tootles
  • David Rysdahl as Arthur
  • Babou Ceesay as Morrow
  • Jonathan Ajayi as Smee
  • Erana James as Curly
  • Lily Newmark as Nibs
  • Diêm Camille as Siberian
  • Adrian Edmondson as Atom Eins
  • Sandra Yi Sencindiver as TBC
  • Richa Moorjani as TBC
  • Karen Aldridge as TBC
  • Enzo Cilenti as TBC
  • Max Rinehart as TBC
  • Amir Boutrous as TBC
  • Victoria Masoma as TBC
  • Tom Moya as TBC
  • Andy Yu as TBC
  • Michael Smiley as TBC
  • Jamie Bisping as TBC
  • Tanapol Chuksrida as TBC

Is there a trailer for Alien: Earth?

There is! The first full trailer for the series was released on Thursday 5th June 2025, and you can watch it right here now:

Alien: Earth will be released in 2025. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £4.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.

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Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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