Alien: Earth Creator Reveals Whether The Series Will Ever Crossover With Predator

Both the "Alien" and "Predator" franchises are going strong under Disney's watch at the moment. In addition to films like "Alien: Romulus" and "Predator: Badlands" doing well on the big screen, the properties have gotten well-received small screen entries like the animated movie "Predator: Killer of Killers" and "Alien: Earth," the franchise's first-ever TV series. There's even been some crossing over between these universes of late, which begs the question: Will "Alien: Earth" feature a "Predator" crossover at some point in the future?

We know that FX and Hulu are officially moving forward with "Alien: Earth" season 2, but beyond that, little is know about the show's next batch of episodes. Hence, when series creator Noah Hawley appeared as a guest on the "SmartLess" podcast, his hosts had to pick his brains about whether a "Predator" crossover is in the cards. Hawley didn't mince words or leave fans hanging, either, as he pretty much ruled out the idea entirely:

"No, not onto the show, I don't think. I think Dan Trachtenberg, who made 'Prey' and has made the 'Badlands' movie — you know, I loved 'Prey.' I think he's doing a great job with that franchise. He clearly has a plan there. I've met Dan once, we're not kind of coordinating any of that stuff. So, it's not really my plan to do it."

So, there we have it. As Hawley mentioned, Trachtenberg has sort of become the "Predator" whisperer in recent years. "Prey" was met with rave reviews in 2022, with "Killer of Killers" becoming all but equally acclaimed when it hit Hulu earlier this year. Since then, the future-set "Predator: Badlands" has kept this hot streak going. Disney appears to be letting Trachtenberg guide that ship for the time being. 

More importantly, "Badlands" is very directly connected to the "Alien" universe, with androids from the Weyland-Yutani corporation featuring prominently. And while Xenomorphs don't pop up in the film, it's clear that Disney is trying to build to some sort of crossover down the line, be that a new "Alien vs. Predator" movie or something else entirely.

An "Alien: Romulus" sequel is also in the works, though it's unclear if that is going to have ties to what Trachtenberg is doing with "Predator." All of this to say, there is ample opportunity for an eventual full-blown crossover. It's just not going to happen on the TV side of things, as Hawley is largely playing in his own sandbox and filling in the gaps before the events of the original "Alien" film.

Speaking with GamesRadar in August, Hawley explained that he's talked with Trachtenberg and "Romulus" director Fede Álvarez. However, it seems that's mainly to ensure they're not treading on the same territory (as opposed to setting up some sort of crossover that they're collectively building to):

"We talk to the degree that we're trying to avoid duplication of story or inadvertent mimicry. But in general, they're not all coordinated. What I've suggested, since there's a surprising paucity of mythology in the seven ['Alien'] films, other than that there's a company called Weyland-Yutani. [...] I've said, 'Well, you know, so if this show is a prequel to the movies, and I've made some choices about how humanity is organized: It might be helpful if you adopt those [choices] should the issue come up in your films,' Right? But otherwise, we're not really coordinating with each other."

"Alien: Earth" season 1 is streaming now on Hulu.