It was in 1979 when Ridley Scott’s Alien introduced us to a space where no one can hear you…being terrorized by chest-bursting, face-hugging extraterrestrials. Seven films later, the slimy reptilian Xenomorphs still haunt us, only now in a TV series and on our planet.
A prequel set two years before the original film, Alien: Earth marks a unique chapter in the franchise as it’s not only the first Alien series but also the first Alien story that is primarily set on our own planet.
The FX series is created by Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) and puts a new spin on the Alien lore, as the Xenomorphs don’t just crawl inside a space vehicle this time; they crash-land on our very planet.
But where did Alien: Earth recreate its Earth of 2120 AD? Strangely enough, that’s where the sci-fi horror series collides with the latest season of The White Lotus.
Where was Alien: Earth filmed?
The entirety of Alien: Earth was filmed in Thailand, incorporating 13 studios, the futuristic buildings of the capital city, Bangkok, and the stunning green backdrops of nature getaways like Phuket and Krabi.
The Thailand Film Office suggests that Alien: Earth also marks the highest investment in the country’s history of international film production, with 2.8 billion baht (approximately 85.4 million US dollars).
The series was primarily filmed for 123 days at several locations in Bangkok, Surat Thani, Samut Prakan, Krabi, and Phang Nga. Even when the Writers Guild strikes prevented filming with American actors, the series had still started filming with its British actors and more than 1,600 Thai crew members across various departments.
For location manager Tunyod Kulviroj, the 123-day shoot in Thailand offered ‘a unique, futuristic and visually stunning backdrop for bringing Alien: Earth to life’. He adds that showrunner Noah Hawley embraced a ‘Neo-Thailand’ for the series, filming everything from boat journeys down Bangkok’s canals to sequences set within deeply forested jungles and open beaches.
‘This striking contrast of locations helped shape the distinct, otherworldly aesthetic of the future Earth we created for the series,’ adds Kulviroj.
The crew filmed through every season in Thailand, fully embracing the tropical climate of the East Asian country. The monsoon moisture only went on to enhance the neo-futuristic grittiness of the cityscapes, while the deep blue skies of the dry season enhanced the backdrop for the lush jungle landscapes.
Bangkok
Setting the series in a futuristic Thailand meant a lot of filming in Bangkok, basking in both the neon-lit haze of its high-rise locales and the shadows of its royal and military past.
‘Bangkok feels like a city straight out of the future,’ says Kulviroj. ‘The striking contrast between old, decaying architecture, rain-soaked streets, and bustling food stalls against sleek, ultra-modern cityscapes creates a quintessential sci-fi atmosphere.’
The trigger point in Alien: Earth is the crash of the space vessel Maginot, an event that heralds the arrival of some uninvited guests from the cosmos. Setting up the crash site came with its own challenges.
Kulviroj explains that the exterior crash site was set at Bangkok’s ever-bustling Neon Market, more specifically, ‘a massive parking lot surrounded by towering buildings’. So, the crew was tasked with not just coordinating large-scale explosions but also managing vast crowds of background extras.
The interior crash site was constructed inside an abandoned five-story shopping mall. The phantom mall posed challenges, like draining a flooded basement and building a makeshift roof.
Ao Nam, Krabi
Google the Thai province of Krabi and you’ll know why it’s one of Thailand’s premier filming destinations. With its clear blue waters and slithering mangrove roots, every widescreen frame at Ao Nam resembles a scenic Windows wallpaper.
Even in Alien: Earth, this coastal tourist hotspot provided a lot of necessary visual backdrops. The Ao Nam beach, in particular, appears significantly in the FX series.
As Kulviroj notes: ‘From pristine beaches and towering limestone cliffs to dense jungles, mountains, and caves, it provided a visually dynamic setting for our story.’
Studio Park, Samut Prakan
Just 25 kilometres outside Bangkok lies the 85-acre Studio Park. This is where most of Alien: Earth’s interior scenes, sprawling set pieces, and crawling Xenos came to life. The Park spans five complexes, each with five purpose-built soundstages, and is looking to invite more big-budget international productions to Thailand.
Surat Thani
Surat Thani, aka the ‘City of a Hundred Islands’ boasts limestone cliffs and beaches like Krabi, along with some vibrant coral reefs. The Khao Sok natural reserve also lies here, with its dense virgin jungles and rock formations resembling sci-fi worlds like Pandora in James Cameron’s Avatar.
Phang Nga
A province in southern Thailand, Phang Nga, is yet again known for its tall limestone rock formations. But one such limestone islet is Hollywood royalty. The 20m-tall rock Ko Tapu was significantly featured in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. Khao Phing Kan, the islet where this rock resides, is often nicknamed James Bond Island for this reason.
Who stars in Alien: Earth?
Much like the Alien films, the cast plays characters that include not just human astronauts but also artificial beings like cyborgs and the biomechanical humanoids known as Synethetics. In Alien: Earth, Sydney Chandler stars as Wendy, the first hybrid – a human whose memories are transferred into a synthetic body.
The rest of the ensemble cast includes Justified and Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant, The End of the F****** World lead Alex Lawther, The Babadook’s Essie Davis, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’s Samuel Blenkin, Into the Badlands villain Babou Ceesay, and Bollywood actor Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger, Superboys of Malegaon). As for the alien in Alien: Earth, stuntman and actor Cameron Brown plays the Xenomorph in costume.
Where can I stream Alien: Earth?
The first two episodes of Alien: Earth are on FX and Hulu in the United States and Disney+ worldwide now.
