While some may have hoped for Noah Hawley’s Alien series to hit FX during the 2024 TV schedule, that apparently is not the case. With Hawley bracing the world for a potential 2025 run, and shooting taking place through the early part of 2024, mystery still reigns supreme.
On the other hand, we do know quite a bit about who will be starring in the show, with some of the big players including FX vets like Timothy Olyphant. In honor of the eventual debut of the Alien program being overseen by the creative mind who reinvented Fargo, let’s take a look at the personnel attached.
What you're about to see is a diverse group of performers who could very well become Xenomorph fodder. And in the case of the first character/actor we're going to discuss, this might not be too much of a threat.
Timothy Olyphant
FX is known for some of cable’s most iconic dramas and comedies. One of those shows is, without question, the western noir Justified. The castmate that links that series to Alien is none other than Timothy Olyphant. While it’s unconfirmed, Deadline was supposedly told that the Santa Clarita Diet star is playing Kirsh, “a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer” for our next character in the spotlight.
Sydney Chandler
Among the things to know about Noah Hawley’s Alien, we’ve learned that actor Sydney Chandler will be playing a character known as Wendy. Described as a “meta-human … with the body of an adult, but the brain and consciousness of a child,” she may or may not be mentored by Timothy Olyphant’s Kirsh. Chandler has previously been seen playing roles in Don’t Worry Darling, and the FX miniseries Pistol.
Alex Lawther
Another human character involved in Alien is that of a soldier named CJ. Highlighted as the lead male role by Deadline, we don’t really know that much about actor Alex Lawther’s role. However, his resume does spell out potential reasons for his casting, as he had a part in director Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, and has been seen in the Disney+ drama Andor, as well as the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance."
Essie Davis
Sci-fi, horror and fantasy seem to be the wheelhouse for actor Essie Davis. Cast as Alien’s mysterious Dame Silvia, the character almost sounds like a member of an implied ruling class, which fits perfectly with the sorts of people we’ve seen running Weyland-Yutani to this point. Davis is probably best known as the lead in The Babadook, as well as for parts in Game Of Thrones and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
Samuel Blenkin
With a name like Boy Kavalier, and a character description labelling him as “a CEO,” this next character for FX’s Alien sounds like a perfect parody of hot shot types that lead the corporations of today. Seen previously in Peacock’s The Continental, as well as the “Loch Henry” episode of Black Mirror, actor Samuel Blenkin has been casted in this enigmatic-sounding role.
Kit Young
Yes, Shadow and Bone fans, you read this correctly. While the Netflix series has been cancelled, actor Kit Young has found himself snagging the cryptic role of Tootles in Alien. Young was seen playing Jesper Fahey in TV’s Grishaverse adaptation, which sadly was among four Netflix series cancelled in late 2023.
Adarsh Gourav
While one cannot say for sure, actor Adarsh Gourav’s character Slightly sounds like they’d be part of a pair with Kit Young’s Toodles. Of course, this isn’t officially known, but we do know that Gourav has some sci-fi TV cred thanks to his role in Apple TV+’s Extrapolations.
David Rysdahl
From here on out, we’re unfortunately fresh out of Alien character names. At the same time, the roster for this FX series continues to be rather impressive, continuing with the casting of actor David Rysdahl. Not only has David been seen playing Donald Hornig in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, but he was also a part of Noah Hawley’s Fargo Season 5. Both that, and Rysdahl's role in the streaming original film No Exit, can now be streamed as part of everything new on Hulu.
Babou Ceesay
Through another batch of casting broken by Variety, actors like Babou Ceesay were added to the impressive roster FX’s Alien already boasted. Previous roles on Ceesay’s CV include films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Free Fire, as well as being the lead of Sky Max’s detective series Wolfe.
Jonathan Ajayi
Wonder Woman 1984 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty are both projects that actor Jonathan Ajayi claims as notable titles in his career. And now the Noughts and Crosses star has a spot in the Alien franchise to call his own in the near future.
Erana James
Perhaps best known to worldwide audiences as playing Toni Shalifoe in Prime Video’s The Wilds, Erana James is another cast member shrouded in mystery. James has also been seen in the films Uproar, as well as an uncredited role in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Lily Newmark
A former model-turned-actor, Lily Newmark has some terrific experiences that’ll come in handy when being a part of FX’s Alien series. As a part of the casts for Solo: A Star Wars Story and Sex Education, Newmark’s resume gives her the tools to deal with any up close and personal encounters with people and organisms from other worlds.
Diêm Camille
Diêm Camille has been seen in TV series like The Sommerdahl Murders, and she's also directed herself in projects like the short film Doll. Now that she's been cast as part of Alien's crew of humans potentially waiting to be stalked by science gone horribly wrong, Camille's audience is about to become a lot greater.
Adrian Edmondson
A legend in britcom history, Adrian Edmonson is probably known best as Vyvyan in the ‘80s classic The Young Ones. Which is why some modern audience members were probably wondering why other moviegoers were wowed by seeing Edmondson in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Now everyone can get together and see what his currently unknown character will be doing in this Alien prequel series.
Moe Bar-El
Our final casting item is that of an unknown, but recurring figure for which Deadline broke the news. Actor Moe Bar-El, fresh off his role as Reece in The Peripheral cast, will now be mixing it up with another sci-fi dystopian universe. Only in this case, one could say the danger factor has been cranked up a couple notches.
And with that, we have the current cast set to star in FX's Alien! With production set to begin soon, if it hasn't already, 2025's TV schedule is going to become a lot more exciting once we have a debut date for this hotly-anticipated series. So keep checking in to see what new updates head our way in the meantime, as this universe only stands to become even larger.
