"This is another character": Director Fede Alvarez defends Ian Holm's controversial inclusion in Alien: Romulus

The Alien franchise returned to the big screen in a huge way after seven years as Alien: Romulus hit theatres last week on August 16, 2024. The film, directed by Fede Alvarez, stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, and more. It focuses on a group of young space colonizers who aboard the Romulus space station to salvage it, only to face the dangerous Xenomorph.

Warning: Spoilers for the film to follow.

While Alien: Romulus has been getting its flowers for taking the franchise back to its roots, it also has ignited a controversy online. The film digitally resurrects late actor Ian Holm, who played Ash in the original Alien, to play the android named Rook in this film. While the decision has been receiving criticism online, director Fede Alvarez has come out and defended the decision.

In an interview with the LA Times on August 19, 2024, Alvarez defended the decision, saying that only his likeness was being used, which is a completely different character.

“We were not trying to do what can’t be done, which is to reproduce that person’s talent as an actor, because this is another character. The only thing they have in common is the likeness," said Alvarez.

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Ian Holm's family permitted his likeness to be used in Alien: Romulus

Later in the article, Fede Alvarez mentioned that Ian Holm's widow, Sophie de Stempel, had also been contacted so she could sign off on the actor's likeness being used. Later on, Ridley Scott, the director of the original Alien and franchise creator, was also said to be enthusiastic about the idea, and thus Holm's likeness was used for the film.

To recreate Holm's likeness in Alien: Romulus, Alvarez revealed that puppeteers were used around "80 to 90%" of the time. Alongside that, actor Daniel Betts also helped record the voice and provided the facial capture, after which AI was used to make him sound more like Holm.

“We’re not bringing someone back to life and saying, ‘Ian would have done it that way. He would have obviously done it differently. We had an actor who was on the set, who worked on the dialogue, who worked with the actors. It’s not like we skipped hiring an actor," said Alvarez.

"“We did it all with a lot of respect and always with the authorization of his family, his children and his widow, who said, ‘We would love to see his likeness again,’” continued Alvarez.

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What role does Ian Holm's likeness play in Alien: Romulus?

In Alien: Romulus, Ian Holm's likeness plays the role of Rook, an android who was a science officer aboard the space station Romulus and Remus. In the film, he was experimenting on the Xenomorph who caused havoc on the Nostromo crew in the original Alien, however, was ripped in half when the creature was let loose on the ship.

He was experimenting on the Xenomorph for Weyland-Yutani and derived a black substance from it that he believed would help elevate humans to be the perfect species. However, his mission was incomplete as the space station crashed into a planet's rings. He also served as the primary antagonist of the film.

You can check out Alien: Romulus, which is now playing in theatres.

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