Alien: Romulus features an Easter egg from the horror game Alien: Isolation

A recent interaction with the upcoming Alien: Romulus movie director, Fede Alvarez, hinted at an Easter egg from the horror game Alien: Isolation. Alien: Romulus’s director dropped a hint, challenging the Alien franchise’s die-hard fans to identify the Easter egg. 

In the post, Fede shared a picture of a phone booth with the word ‘ EMERGENCY’ on top. The director then asked the fans what they would think it meant if they saw the booth while watching Alien: Romulus. 

Many fans jumped on the opportunity, answering ‘save point.’ The answers meant the phone booth was a save point, similar to its illustration in the Alien: Isolation game. Fede Alvarez later mentioned in a reply that everyone who answered ‘shit is about to get real’ was correct.

The Easter egg hint was part of multiple fan facts and tests that Fede posted on the same day. The movie is set to air in theaters on August 16.  

Alien: Romulus draws inspiration from Alien: Isolation

After Fede Alvarez dropped the Easter egg, many fans noted the similarities between the Alien: Isolation game and the Alien: Romulus movie. Some quickly noted the identical positions of the save point in the Alien game and the upcoming film. 

In the Alien franchise subreddit, fans discussed how Fede referenced the horror game as an inspiration for Alien: Romulus. One Redditor explained that anyone interested can watch speedrunners playing the game in nightmare mode on YouTube. The Redditor added that if fans skipped the repetitive missions, the videos would be like a movie themselves.

Fede reportedly commented on the inspiration behind the movie in April, mentioning that, at its core, it was a horror-thriller. The Alien: Romulus director supposedly said that the upcoming film draws inspiration from its roots. Fede depended on the input of creatives who worked with Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s movies that came before.

Alien: Romulus team appears at SDCC

Alien: Romulus panel…everyone in Hall H, all 6500 of them, just received facehugger masks. pic.twitter.com/GjJ3UdltXQ

— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) July 27, 2024

The Alien: Romulus team and cast appeared at the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con. A Q&A session featuring Alvarez and the cast discussed the upcoming movie from their perspectives. The director mentioned that fans do not need to watch the previous movies to enjoy Alien: Romulus. The movie still borrows a few things, including the returning and modified Xenomorph.

Fede revealed Ridley and James’s positive reaction to the movie during the interview. The Romulus director explained Ridley and Cameron’s involvement during the entire filmmaking process. Fede appreciated the opportunity to work with and learn from, in his words, the masters of their craft. 

20th Century Studios and Disney contributed to the session held in Hall H at SDCC. In an interactive session with Fede Alvarez, an attendee asked if the director gets nightmares after working with practical aliens. Hall H turned red as face-huggers invaded the space. The Hall H session also featured three clips from the movie that gave an inside look at the aliens.