How James Cameron Really Feels About Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth

James Cameron has directed some of the best sequels of all time. Right at or very near the top of that list is "Aliens." Serving as a follow-up to director Ridley Scott's all-time sci-fi/horror classic "Alien," Cameron helped to expand the scope of the franchise and what it could be with his bigger, wilder sequel. Naturally, fans are curious what Cameron thinks about the continued direction of the series, including Noah Hawley's live-action TV show "Alien: Earth." In short, he's a fan.

The series picks up after a mysterious space vessel crashes on Earth, leaving a ragtag group of tactical soldiers to make a major discovery that puts them face-to-face with dangerous beings not of this world.

"Alien: Earth" recently wrapped up its first season, paving the way for season 2. In a recent conversation with Empire Magazine for the January 2026 issue, Cameron was asked about his thoughts on the show. The "Avatar" director praised it for doing something different than what had come before, while also pulling from previous entries. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I like it. I think they took a lot of the DNA from my movie, from Ridley's movie. And a couple of things from some of the later movies — they've got a little bit of that crazy POV thing racing down the corridors from [David] Fincher's film. I think it's good. It's great creative recombinance in action, but with its own swerve, which is basically what I did. You gotta celebrate the new with the old."

Even though Cameron will likely never return to the "Alien" franchise himself, as he'll presumably be busy making "Avatar" movies for years to come, earning his seal of approval is no small thing.

Ridley Scott was an executive producer on "Alien: Earth," though he only seemed to be tangentially involved. Scott has indicated that he's not going to direct another "Alien" movie, after helming the original as well as the prequels "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant." But for Hawley and all involved, having Scott's name attached and Cameron's kind words is surely comforting. After all, this was the first time in the franchise's history that it ventured into the world of live-action TV as opposed to movies. Not to mention setting it on Earth. It was a big swing.

Fortunately, he swing paid off, as the show did very well in the ratings department and has already been renewed for season 2 by FX and Hulu. Despite this franchise rapidly approaching its 50th anniversary, it seems there are still plenty of "Alien" stories to tell.

On that note, this show isn't the only thing that fans of Xenomorphs have to look forward to. A sequel to last year's "Alien: Romulus" is also currently in the works on the movie side. Plus, "Predator: Badlands" recently provided some connective tissue to the "Alien" universe, which could open the door for some major crossovers to come in the future. Not to mention the ongoing comics, video games, and other material. This is just one part of the ever-expanding scope of the universe. 

"Alien: Earth" is streaming now on Hulu.