2024 is going to be another huge year for film anniversaries. Particularly in the horror genre as the classic filmAlienwill be celebrating its 45th anniversary. The 1979 film directed byRidley Scottis considered to be one of the scariestfilms ever made. However, now it looks likeDisneyis making theAlienfranchise more accessible for kids, as the family-friendly company is releasing a new children’s book based on the blood-curdling franchise next year.
The book titledA is for Alien: An ABC Bookwill be part of the Little Golden Books line and illustrated by the Disney Storybook Art Team. The description reads as follows,“In space no one can hear you giggle as you read this Little Golden Book featuring the characters from the classic movie Alien! FollowRipleyand the rest of the Nostromo crew on a space adventure that introduces the alphabet from A to Z.“This spooky adventure will be targeted at children 2 to 5-years-old. While this seems like a very strange move given how dark and distracting theAlienfranchiseis, it’s nice that Disney has found a way to expand former Fox properties in new creative ways. Particularly their horror brands. BeyondHocus PocusandThe Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney isn’t really known for horror. However, theiracquisition of Fox has given them access to some of the most belovedhorrorfranchises, likePredatorandAlien.
This is kind of funny given that they’re making a children’s book for a hard-R franchise, but gateway horror is crucial for young minds to discover the genre. If it wasn’t for things likeThe Nightmare Before Christmas, many of us wouldn’t be the horror fans we are today. With theAlienuniverse expanding every year, this would bea fun way for genre enthusiasts to have their kids explore one of the key franchiseswhile learning how to read. Let’s just hope there aren’t too many “facehuggers'' and “chest bursters” to traumatize kids for life. Nevertheless, the thought of Disney artists tackling these iconic blood-soaked scenes is hilariously smile-inducing.
‘Alien’ Returns in 2024
While the franchise has been quite active since 1979 with six feature films to its frightening name,Alien will be stocking us once again with the new filmAlien: Romulusin theaters next year. The filmtakes place between the first twoAliennightmareswith a whole new cast of victims that’ll be screaming in space for no one to hear. While Scott returned for thelast two installments, the main reason fans are excited about this particular film is it was directed by a modern genre iconFede Álvarez. The filmmaker’s previous two horror works,Evil Dead(2013) andDon’t Breathe, are considered to be some of the best offerings the genre has to offer in the last decade. With a cast that includesCailee Spaeny(Priscilla) andIsabela Merced(Superman: Legacy), it’s going to be exciting to see where the Alien franchise is taken next. However, that’s not all the Alien goodness we’re getting in 2024, asa newFX seriesbased on the xenomorph-centric franchise is likely to premiere next year.
A is For Alien: An ABC Bookis releasing on July 03, 2025.That’s just a month beforeAlien: Romulusterrorizes theaters on July 05, 2025. You can pre-order the book for your future horror-loving kid from Penguin Random House’swebsitefor $5.99 USD.Alienis currently streaming onHulu.
In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey home to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship. An organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew, causing him to fall into a coma.
Watch on Hulu
