Noah Hawley Says Alien: Earth Ignores Prometheus and Alien: Covenant

The origin of the xenomorphs has always been one of Alien’s biggest mysteries—but the upcoming Disney+ series Alien: Earth has now leaned hard into a specific interpretation. Series showrunner Noah Hawley says he’s chosen to disregard two later franchise entries, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, because their mythology shifted the way audiences are meant to understand where the creatures come from.

Key takeaways

• Noah Hawley, showrunner of Alien: Earth, said he is ignoring Prometheus and Alien: Covenant for continuity.
• Hawley’s reasoning is tied to xenomorph myth: he wants to stay closer to the first Alien movie’s more evolutionary framing.
• Prometheus sparked fan backlash, and screenwriter Damon Lindelof reportedly faced criticism over that film’s script.
• Hawley argued that the xenomorph “perfect form” is the result of “millions of years” of evolution, not a recently created bioweapon.
• Alien: Earth has been renewed for a second season on Disney+.
• Claims about Alien: Romulus being canceled have been officially denied.

Hawley draws a hard line through the franchise timeline

In his approach to Alien: Earth, Noah Hawley has decided not to treat Prometheus and Alien: Covenant as core truth for the saga’s xenomorph origin. His stated focus is on remaining faithful to the first Alien film, which frames the creatures’ existence as something far more organic—built over vast time rather than tied to a quick, engineered creation.

The dispute centers on what those mid-series movies reveal. Prometheus, as Hawley’s comments highlight, points toward an explanation involving the “Engineers,” depicting them as creators of both humans and xenomorphs. That concept also leans into the implication that the aliens can be used as biological weapons.

The “evolution over fabrication” argument

Hawley’s view directly challenges the bioweapon framing. In an interview, he said that for him—and for many others—the “perfect life form” described in the original movie is best understood as the product of “millions of years of evolution.” He also contrasted that idea with the notion that the creature could be the result of something created only “half an hour” ago, calling it inherently less convincing.

In the same conversation, Hawley’s logic builds on the original film’s mystery. Where later entries suggest clearer answers, the first Alien keeps the origin more obscured, and Hawley wants Alien: Earth to preserve that sense of natural, long-term development rather than a sudden engineered genesis.

What fans objected to after Prometheus, and what’s next for the series

After Prometheus released, viewers reportedly voiced strong dissatisfaction with the revelations the movie brought. Damon Lindelof—who is also associated with Lost—received criticism specifically aimed at the script and the way the story laid out its ideas.

Meanwhile, Alien: Earth is moving forward on Disney+. The series has been renewed for a second season. At the same time, rumors claiming that Alien: Romulus was headed toward cancellation have been officially denied, putting those reports to rest for now.