An Open Proposal to Steve Asbell, President of 20th Century Studios

Strengthening the Long-Term Future of the Alien Franchise Through an Alien Franchise Office

Dear Mr. Asbell,

First, thank you to you and the entire team at 20th Century Studios for your stewardship of the Alien franchise. Nearly fifty years after Ridley Scott introduced audiences to the terrifying world of the Xenomorph, Alien remains one of the most influential and respected science-fiction properties in cinematic history.

Today, Alien stands at an exciting inflection point.

With feature films, television, games, novels, comics, and expanded media continuing to grow the universe, the franchise has evolved beyond a series of individual productions into a valuable long-term intellectual property ecosystem.

As the universe expands, we respectfully encourage 20th Century Studios to consider establishing an Alien Franchise Office, led by a Franchise Architect or Creative Lore Director, dedicated to preserving and expanding the Alien universe with a unified long-term vision.

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Why Now?

Every successful franchise eventually reaches a point where its greatest challenge is no longer creating great individual stories—it’s ensuring those stories strengthen one another.

Alien is rapidly approaching that point.

Rather than allowing continuity, mythology, and long-term planning to be distributed across multiple productions, writers, and external media, now is the ideal time to establish a centralized creative function that protects and grows the franchise for decades to come.

The goal is not simply continuity.

The goal is maximizing the long-term value of one of Disney’s premier science-fiction properties.

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The Business Opportunity

A Franchise Architect should not be viewed as a continuity editor.

Instead, this role should function as a long-term strategic steward of the Alien universe.

Responsibilities could include:

Maintaining the official Alien Universe Bible.
Coordinating continuity across films, television, publishing, games, and licensed media.
Supporting writers and directors with established lore while preserving creative flexibility.
Identifying long-term narrative opportunities years before production begins.
Preserving institutional knowledge across creative teams.
Helping ensure every new project strengthens—not fragments—the broader universe.

Instead of asking,

“Is this a great Alien movie?”

the Franchise Architect also asks,

“Does this project increase the value of the Alien franchise ten or twenty years from now?”

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Why This Benefits the Studio

The creation of an Alien Franchise Office would help:

Preserve audience confidence in the franchise.
Reduce costly late-stage continuity revisions.
Improve collaboration between productions.
Protect decades of accumulated mythology.
Increase the long-term value of Alien as an entertainment brand.
Create stronger opportunities for licensing, publishing, merchandise, games, and future storytelling.

Continuity alone does not sell tickets.

However, audience trust encourages long-term engagement.

When audiences believe every story meaningfully contributes to a larger universe, they are more likely to remain invested in future films, streaming series, games, novels, and collectibles.

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Proven Models

This proposal is not unprecedented.

Some of the industry’s most successful franchises have demonstrated the value of dedicated long-term creative stewardship.

Examples include:

The Lucasfilm Story Group, which helps coordinate canon across Star Wars films, television, publishing, and games.
Kevin Feige’s long-term stewardship of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, creating confidence that individual stories contribute to a larger narrative.

Alien does not require an organization of comparable size.

However, Alien has unquestionably reached the point where one dedicated steward—or a small office—could provide substantial long-term value.

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Creative Freedom Remains Paramount

This proposal is not intended to limit directors or writers.

Quite the opposite.

The purpose of a Franchise Architect is to enable creativity by providing a trusted foundation upon which filmmakers can build.

Rather than asking creators to navigate decades of mythology independently, the Franchise Office would serve as a collaborative partner—preserving consistency while encouraging bold new storytelling.

Great franchises thrive when creators have both freedom and a clearly understood universe in which to create.

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A Vision for an Alien Franchise Office

An Alien Franchise Office could begin as a small, highly focused team consisting of:

Franchise Architect / Creative Lore Director

Oversees long-term mythology.
Maintains franchise roadmap.
Advises productions.
Coordinates canon across media.

Canon & Research Coordinator

Maintains the Alien Universe Bible.
Documents timeline, technology, organizations, creatures, and historical events.
Supports writers and production teams with research and continuity.

Creative Advisory Council

An informal advisory group consisting of filmmakers, writers, producers, and subject-matter experts who periodically review long-term franchise direction while preserving each production’s unique creative identity.

This scalable model allows the function to begin modestly while growing only as the franchise expands.

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Illustrative Candidates

Should the studio determine that such a position would benefit the franchise, there are several individuals whose experience with Alien demonstrates the type of expertise that could help establish this function. These names are offered as examples of the qualifications such a role might require, not as endorsements or recommendations for appointment.

Alex White — Extensive experience expanding Alien through original novels while working within established canon and character continuity.
Andrew Gaska — Deep knowledge of Alien lore, world-building, and franchise continuity across multiple media.
Charles de Lauzirika — Decades of involvement documenting, preserving, and communicating the creative history of the Alien franchise, with unique institutional knowledge of its development.

Collectively, these examples illustrate the blend of creative insight, franchise knowledge, and collaborative experience that could make such a role successful.

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Looking Forward

Alien has endured for nearly fifty years because every generation has found something compelling within its universe.

As the franchise enters its next chapter, there is an opportunity to think not merely about the next successful film—but about the next twenty years of Alien storytelling.

A Franchise Architect or Creative Lore Director would represent an investment in the future of Alien itself.

Not simply preserving what has already been created, but ensuring every new story strengthens the extraordinary universe that audiences have come to love.

Thank you for your continued leadership and for considering this proposal.

Respectfully,

Fans of the Alien Universe