Exclusive: Sydney Chandler Cast As Lead In Alien Series
We've learned that Sydney Chandler will play the female lead of Noah Hawley's Alien series.
Update: This Giant Freakin Robot exclusive was confirmed, and Sydney Chandler was cast in the Alien: Earth series as part of the Alien franchise.
Starting with 1979’s Alien, Sigourney Weaver inhabited one of the most iconic roles in science fiction cinema, and the same franchise has tapped another woman for a new role in the saga. Our trusted and proven sources tell us Sydney Chandler of Don’t Worry Darling fame has been cast as the female lead of Noah Hawley’s upcoming Alien series. The show was originally expected to premiere this year on FX/Hulu, but delays pushed back production.
We don’t know details about Sydney Chandler’s Alien character yet, but an unconfirmed report from The Illuminerdi could shed some light. In November 2021, the site claimed they had learned the names, and other details, about the male and female leads. If the story is accurate, Chandler’s character’s name will be Wendy, while the male lead’s name is Hermit.
Sydney Chandler’s Alien character, according to The Illuminerdi’s report, will be Hermit’s sister but somehow, she will not be inhabiting her own body. Instead, as a result of some kind of experiment gone awry, her mind will be in the body of a soldier. The “prototype” for the role at the time was Danai Gurira of Black Panther fame.
If this is all accurate, then, as Wendy, Sydney Chandler will mark something new in the Alien franchise. Along with the terrifying aliens themselves we’ve had clones and androids, but never body switches. It’s particularly interesting considering from what we know about the show, it will be set in the 21st century — earlier than any of the films with the possible exception of 2012’s Prometheus, which is set in 2089 — and so you would think such technology would already have been seen in the more futuristic movies.
Sydney Chandler could wind up with a career-making role, depending on how Hawley’s Alien series is received. The daughter of Kyle Chandler (Godzilla vs. Kong, Super 8), her list of screen credits is still relatively short though her two most prominent roles hit screens big and small last year. She played Violet in the psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling and nabbed the role of The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde in the bio-drama miniseries Pistol.
With no firm release date yet, it’s clearly far too soon to tell how the Alien series will fare, but considering Noah Hawley’s involvement, it doesn’t seem smart to necessarily bet against it. Hawley’s creative vision is behind two of the most acclaimed TV series of recent memory — Legion and the anthology crime show Fargo. With a blockbuster franchise spinoff now at his command, there’s no telling how popular it could be.
