James Cameron Finally Praises an 'Alien' Sequel, and It's Not a Movie
The legendary director behind 'Aliens' has been critical of the franchise's direction for years. Now, he's finally given his stamp of approval to a new installment, but his choice might shock longtime fans of the iconic sci-fi horror series.
Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece, Alien, was a masterclass in slow-burn horror, feeling more like a haunted house movie set in space than a typical sci-fi adventure. When James Cameron took the reins seven years later, he famously injected a heavy dose of adrenaline and firepower, creating the action-packed spectacle Aliens. While it traded suspense for explosions, audiences loved it, and a sprawling media franchise was born. Over the years, the saga has explored many different avenues, from David Fincher’s bleak directorial debut to Fede Álvarez’s solid reboot and the philosophical questions posed by Prometheus. The journey has been a long and winding one, and not every chapter has met with Cameron's approval.
A New Kind of Threat
Surprisingly, the entry that has earned Cameron’s respect isn't a feature film at all. The project in question is Alien: Earth, the franchise's first-ever episodic series, which premiered on Disney+ in 2025. Helmed by Noah Hawley, the acclaimed creator of Fargo and Legion, the show carves out its own space in the timeline.
Set two years before the events of the original movie, it presents an alternate history where the Weyland-Yutani corporation's reckless pursuit of alien life has immediate consequences on our home planet. A transport ship carrying dangerous specimens suffers a catastrophic failure and crash-lands on Earth, unleashing a deadly Xenomorph onto an unsuspecting population. It’s a nightmare scenario that fans have long imagined.
Cameron's Stamp of Approval
The show has received widespread acclaim, and its most notable fan is Cameron himself. In a recent interview with Dark Horizons, the Titanic director shared his enthusiastic take on the series. He recognized how the showrunners built upon the foundations he helped lay while still forging a new path.
“I think they took a lot of the DNA from my movie,” he stated. “A couple of things from some of the later movies, they’ve got a little bit of that crazy POV thing racing down the corridors from Fincher‘s film. I think it’s good. It’s great creative recombinance in action, but with its own swerve, which is basically what I did. You gotta celebrate the new with the old.”
A Critically Acclaimed Hit
Cameron isn't alone in his praise. Hawley's work has been a massive hit with both critics and audiences, who have hailed it as a return to form for the property and one of its strongest installments to date. Many have drawn parallels to the Star Wars series Andor, noting how Alien: Earth uses the established lore to explore complex themes and tell a more grounded, politically charged story.
The show masterfully weaves together elements from the entire saga. It captures the relentless horror of the first movie, the high-octane action of the second, and even touches on the philosophical questions about synthetics and creation raised in later installments. With a second season already confirmed, it seems the franchise has found exciting new ground to explore, and Cameron will be watching right along with the rest of us.