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Most movies and television shows are shot out of chronological order. It just makes sense - accessing and setting up different sets and locations, juggling actor's availabilities, and even budget plays into the schedule of things. It's rather uncommon for films, especially big Hollywood films, to be filmed in chronological order - but Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez made it happen.

Why go out of your way to film a big blockbuster in order? To preserve the emotional journey, apparently. At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Popverse's Josh Bertone liveblogged the Alien: Romulus Hall H panel, and wrote about Álvarez sharing why he made this choice for the film.

Álvarez had a deep love for the previous Alien directors and had been worried about filling their shoes, but having a chronological order shoot meant that the actors and crew could move through the story together. It also meant that after a character died, the actor would have their last day on set. The process was all part of how seriously Álvarez took the project.

"You honor the audience when you really care," Álvarez shared. He also forbade anyone from saying "It's just a movie" on the set of the film.

Alien: Romulus hits theaters August 16, 2024. Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets.

Get a fuller San Diego Comic-Con experience with a full rundown of our SDCC 2024 stories, as well as all the big SDCC 2024 news, how to make the most out of San Diego Comic-Con, and the real burning question: how much does it actually cost to go to SDCC?