Alien: Romulus Creative Team Discusses Film’s Intricate Designs at Lightbox Expo

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The team who created the visual style for the upcoming movie Alien: Romulus will be at the Lightbox Expo in Pasadena, California on Sunday, October 26th, 2025, to discuss how they developed the film’s look and design.

I recently got a sneak peek at the making of this sci-fi sequel, and it’s fascinating! The writer-director, Fede Álvarez, kicks things off with a video intro, then we get a really in-depth conversation with Alex Nice, Matthew Savage, and Joshua Viers – the key people who actually built this world. They’ll be talking about what it took to bring the film to life, and each of their specific talents. ScreenRant’s Todd Gilchrist is leading the discussion, and I’m really excited to hear all the behind-the-scenes details.

Before the panel discussion, Álvarez explained how the work of artists like Nice, Savage, and Viers will have a lasting impact, even influencing future Alien movies. He stated, “The foundation these artists created will continue to be used. The look and feel of their work, and their design choices, are now officially part of the Alien world.”

While Álvarez won’t be directing the next Romulus movie, he’ll still be involved as a producer, along with the original director, Ridley Scott. Their combined experience and vision should help keep the Alien series strong for years to come.

Joshua, Alex, and Matthew didn’t just create the sets for Romulus; they crafted an entire world. Their work isn’t just visually stunning—it will influence the look and feel of the Alien universe for a long time to come.

Nice, who worked as a concept artist on the film, was the first of three people brought onto the Romulus project. He recalls that a good deal of early planning was already done when he joined, but he was present for the initial discussions about the movie’s core concept. He remembers feeling incredibly nervous and underqualified to be in the room, but also thrilled to be at director Fede Álvarez’s house, witnessing the development of a new Alien film.

Nice suggests his experience working on a production with Álvarez led to being included in the director’s creative process. He remembers Álvarez having unpredictable bursts of creativity, often interrupted by musical interludes. “Fede would have these moments of intense creativity, then suddenly stop to play music,” Nice recalls. “It was strange being in a brainstorming session and watching him get up and start playing piano or guitar.”

Similar to the other concept artists on the team, Savage intentionally showcased previous work to get the opportunity to design the space station, a key location in the film. “I put together a portfolio focused on spaceship exteriors and sent it to production designer Naaman Marshall and director Fede Álvarez,” he explains. “Naaman got back to me almost immediately, and during our first call, he assigned me the task of designing the ship.”

Savage explained that the personal experiences he had while making the film created a more connected and heartfelt feel compared to his work on large-scale productions like The Dark Knight and the three Star Wars sequel films. He shared that the directors, Fede and Naaman, encouraged him to prioritize his well-being, telling him to ‘take a break and focus on the scenes he enjoyed most’.

He explained that despite the film’s large scale, the director, Naaman, fostered a surprisingly independent and creative atmosphere. ‘He let us explore ideas,’ Nice said. ‘If we saw something in the script we liked, we were encouraged to try it out and see if it worked.’ Nice added that after completing his main design tasks, he proactively offered to create additional elements, like sketches of space station exteriors and androids, and the team was able to freely pursue these side projects.

I have to give a shout-out to Nic for getting me involved with Alien: Romulus – he actually sent my work to Alex, which is how I landed the job. But honestly, the real magic came from the creative freedom we all had. I was initially working on the trailers for the mining colony scenes, while Alex and Matt were focused on the space station stuff. For the first few weeks, I was a little envious of their assignments! But then I started to realize just how much potential there was in the trailer work, and it became incredibly rewarding.

Director Álvarez praises actors Joshua, Alex, and Matthew as incredibly talented world-builders who make his job easy. He notes that each actor brought a unique quality to the character of Romulus, and together they established the character’s distinctive look and feel. Álvarez also emphasized the importance of a collaborative team.

He’s looking for people who consider the overall goal, not just their individual assignments. He appreciates team players who improve ideas through discussion and innovation, and especially those who can offer a fresh perspective when he’s stuck. He believes these imaginative collaborators are true artists, capable of taking a film beyond its initial limitations.

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2025-10-24 18:59