FX is gearing up to put viewers back into the world of Alien with the vision of Noah Hawley, and while details of the highly-anticipated prequel series remain minimal, star David Rysdahl is hinting at some good things ahead.
Rysdahl is currently starring in Hawley’s Fargo for the network as car salesman and dutiful husband Wayne Lyon (below) in Year 5 of the acclaimed anthology series. When TV Insider caught up with the star regarding his ongoing role in the Midwest-set dark comedy, we asked him about what fans might be able to expect from the forthcoming Alien project.
(Credit: Frank W Ockenfels III/FX)
“I mean, if you would’ve told me two years ago that I would’ve been in Fargo and then in Alien, I would’ve been like, ‘What are you on?’” Rysdahl exclaims. “So the idea that I get to [star in these shows]… I mean, I grew up on both movies and just to be part of that universe to step on those sets, it’s just kind of a dream come true.”
Rysdahl points to Fargo as a perfect example of what Hawley is doing with Alien by taking a piece of beloved film and translating the tone for TV. “Noah is doing a similar thing with what he did with Fargo,” Rysdahl says. “Taking the DNA of something — and what is Fargo dealing with and what is Alien dealing with at a primal level — through Noah’s lens, and then building it off of that.”
Ultimately, the actor says, “I think people will be happy about it.” While Rysdahl couldn’t say much more, previously released reports teased that the scripts for the show had been completed before the WGA strike and that production had begun in July, but ultimately paused. Work on the show is supposedly expected to resume in Bangkok in January 2024.
The casting of Rysdahl was announced alongside Timothy Olyphant, also a fellow Fargo vet. Additional cast members include Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, and Kit Young. Inspired by the franchise surrounding Ridley Scott‘s 1979 sci-fi hit, Alien will be an Earth-set spinoff set in a time before Sigourney Weaver‘s Ripley.
Stay tuned for more on the Alien series as it takes shape at FX and catch Rysahl in Fargo as Year 5 continues to unfold.
Alien, Series Premiere, TBA, FX