New Alien movie casts rising stars

The next instalment in the 'Alien' movie franchise is moving forward with a cast of young rising stars.

'Don't Breathe' director Fede Alvarez is taking charge of the ninth film in the sci-fi series - which has the working title of 'Alien: Romulus' with 'The Craft: Legacy' star Cailee Spaeny taking on a lead role which has been compared to Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley - and she has now been joined by David Jonsson who made his feature film debut in British rom-com 'Rye Lane' - and Archie Renaux who previously appeared in 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever' and 'Morbius'.

Joining them in the line-up is Spike Fearn - who has been seen in 'The Batman' and 'Aftersun' - and 'Fish Tank' star Aileen Wu.

Few details are known about the new 'Alien' offering which has been written by Alvarez, but it's believed the film will focus on a group of young people living in a distant colony who find themselves under attack from the fearsome Xenomorph creatures made famous by the franchise.

According to Variety.com, bosses at 20th Century Studios have revealed the film will follow "a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe".

Sir Ridley Scott - who directed the original 1979 movie as well as prequels 'Prometheus' and 'Alien: Covenant' - is among the producers for the new film.

Filming on 'Alien: Romulus' is due to begin in Budapest, Hungary on March 9. It is not yet known when the film is slated for release.