Alien: Earth — and the long-running creative relationship between series creator Noah Hawley and FX — will continue.
Hawley has signed a new overall deal with FX and Disney Entertainment Television, which includes a second season of Alien: Earth that will debut on FX’s cable channel and Hulu. Production is set to begin next year in London. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter the multi-year deal is valued in the nine figures and will see Hawley broaden his scope to all of Disney Entertainment TV, which also includes ABC and Hulu Originals.
“It has been our great privilege to work with Noah for more than a decade on some of FX’s best and biggest shows, and we are thrilled to extend our partnership well into the future,” FX chairman John Landgraf said in a statement. “Noah never stops surprising us with truly original stories — and his unique ability to bring them to vibrant life as a director and producer as well as writer makes him extraordinary. We can’t wait to get to work on the next season of Alien: Earth, as well as some equally exciting future projects in advanced development.”
Alien: Earth is the third series Hawley has created for FX, along with Fargo and Legion. Fargo, an anthology inspired by the Coen brothers’ movie, has run for five seasons since 2014 and won seven Emmys; Legion ran for three seasons.
“I’m thrilled that this expanded deal opens the door to new opportunities across all of Disney Entertainment Television,” said Hawley. “FX has always supported bold, character-driven storytelling. From the very beginning with Fargo, they’ve encouraged me to take creative risks and follow the story wherever it leads. I’m grateful to continue exploring the world of Alien: Earth alongside our partners, cast, and crew as we begin the next chapter.”
Added Eric Schrier, president Disney Television Studios and global original television strategy, “I learned first-hand that Noah was a unique talent while we worked on Fargo at FX. He has gone on to make many of the best shows in television, and I couldn’t be more excited that Noah will continue his FX partnership and broaden it across Disney Entertainment Television.”
The renewal for Alien: Earth promises some resolution to a cliffhanger ending to the season, which is set two years before the events of the first Alien film. “I had to plan and execute a story that that’s going someplace,” Hawley told THR about the final episode. “And then, this whole thing is a proof-of-concept experiment to see if enough people on the planet want to watch an Alien TV show to justify the expense of a second and third season of an Alien TV show. So for me, I never hedged my bets. This is not a closed-ended season. This chapter is closed. … The balance of power has shifted. These children have no idea what’s coming.”
Season one of Alien: Earth stars Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, David Rysdahl, Adrian Edmondson, Adarsh Gourav, Jonathan Ajayi, Erana James, Lily Newmark, Diem Camille and Moe Bar-El. Hawley executive produced the season with Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Clayton Krueger, Emilia Serrano, Bob DeLaurentis, Peter Calloway, Monica Macer, John Campisi and Simon Emanuel. FX Productions is the studio.
Hawley is repped by WME, Untitled Entertainment, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis and McKuin Frankel.
