Alien (franchise)
| Alien | |
|---|---|
Official franchise logo | |
| Created by | Dan O'Bannon Ronald Shusett |
| Original work | Alien (1979) |
| Owner | 20th Century Studios |
| Years | 1979–present |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | List of novels |
| Comics | List of comics |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
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| Short film(s) |
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| Television series | Alien: Earth (2025–present) |
| Web series | Alien: Isolation – The Digital Series (2019) |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Play(s) | Alien: The Play (2019) |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) | List of video games |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) |
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| Miscellaneous | |
| Character(s) | List of characters |
Alien is an American science fiction horror and action media franchise created by screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, which began as the 1979 film Alien. The series primarily follows deadly encounters between humans and the extraterrestrial Xenomorphs in the future.
Released as seven films distributed by 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) and produced by Brandywine Productions since 1979, the series has led to numerous novels, comics, and video games, and a 2025 television series created by Noah Hawley titled Alien: Earth. Sigourney Weaver starred as warrant officer Ellen Ripley in the first four films, Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), and Alien: Resurrection (1997). The other three films follow different characters, and include prequels Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), and Alien: Romulus (2024), which are set between the first two films. The films were directed by Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Fede Álvarez. An eighth film is in preproduction as of 2025.
The film series has also inspired a number of spin-offs—most notably the Alien vs. Predator series, which combines the continuities of the Alien franchise with the Predator franchise and consists of two films as well as various series of comics, books, and video games.