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Anymore, every other movie that comes out (it seems) is part of a franchise. And for newcomers to that franchise, this can be daunting - you're not always 100% sure you're going to understand what's going on. But there's at least one franchise movie out this year that won't require you to do any homework - Alien: Romulus. Speaking to a massive crowd at San Diego Comic Con, director Fede Álvarez  confirmed that anyone will be able to enjoy the flick, no matter how much Alien they've seen.

The crowd was gathered for the Alien: Romulus panel in Hall H (which we brought to you via liveblog), where Fede Álvarez, Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu, and even Ridley Scott (via video) were assembled to discuss the upcoming movie. The panel featured several scenes from the movie (so lucky you if you were there) and plenty of discussion about what kind of movie it was. During that discussion, director Álvarez was insistent that it was a film for newcomers as much as longtime fans of the franchise.

"I wanted really fresh faces," Álvarez said of the new cast, who are unconnected to anyone we've met before in the Alien universe, "I didn't want people you associated with another character." He went on to clarify that he didn't mind nostalgia, but there was a limit to what he wanted to do with it. In food terms, he said, nostalgia should be the "snack" and not the whole meal.

Well, we appreciate it Fede; even those of us who have done our homework still appreciate something new. A different item on the menu, to keep with your food metaphor.

Not that we're gonna be eating during this thing, dude.

If you love aliens bursting out of chests and hugging your face, then we have all you could want from  Popverse's Alien watch order, details on where Romulus fits into the Alien timeline, and all you need to know  on the upcoming Aliens TV show with Timothy Oliphant.