The China Mail - 'Alien' lands at Comic-Con

The pop culture convention held annually in San Diego was the chosen setting for the world premiere of the FX series created by Noah Hawley.

"This is by far the biggest thing I've ever made," Hawley told 6,500 cheering fans in Comic-Con's Hall H before presenting the first episode, which he also directed.

And in Hall H -- unlike in space -- you could hear them scream.

"It was crazy!" squealed Nicole Martindale, a fan of the franchise who traveled from northern California for the event.

"It wasn't what I expected based on the Alien movies, but it was pretty cool," she added.

"Alien: Earth" is set a couple of years before the events of Ridley Scott's seminal 1979 film starring Sigourney Weaver.

Scott served as executive producer of this expansion of the franchise, which will hit streaming platforms in August.

"If I have a skill at adapting these films, it's in an understanding what the original movie made me feel and why, and trying to create it anew by telling you a totally different story," Hawley told the audience.

The panel also featured stars Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant, Babou Ceesay and Samuel Blenkin, who discussed what it was like to become part of the storied franchise and share a scene with the Xenomorph.

"It's a dream, it was surreal," said Chandler, who plays Wendy, a "hybrid" who is a blend of human consciousness and a synthetic body.

"I've been a sci-fi and 'Alien' fan forever. I keep pinching myself."

- 'Tron' -

One of the world's largest celebrations of pop culture, Comic-Con brings together 130,000 people, many of whom come dressed as wizards, princesses or characters from movies, games or TV series.

This year, the lines to enter Hall H have been less frenetic than in previous editions.

Fans accustomed to camping out at the gates of the venue to get a spot inside say the lack of a big Marvel Studios presence has eased the crush.

"Last year, we arrived the night before and had to wait hours to get" in, said Carla Gonzalez, who has attended the event every year with her family since 2013.

"This year the first panel is about to start, and there are still empty chairs. If Marvel were here, it would be packed," she added.

There was still plenty for afficionados to get excited about, including a panel on "Predator: Badlands" directed by Dan Trachtenberg and set to hit US theaters in November.

Trachtenberg, responsible for revitalizing the franchise with "Prey" (2022), is expected to appear alongside stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who plays the Predator, Dek.

The panel is expected to reveal more details and images from the production, which places the predator at the center of the plot for the first time as prey, not hunter.

Actors Jared Leto, Jeff Bridges and Greta Lee were also expected Friday to present exclusive clips from "Tron: Ares."

The film, directed by Joachim Ronning, is the third installment of another beloved science fiction franchise, which began in 1982, with Bridges playing a hacker who becomes trapped in the digital world.

Comic-Con concludes on Sunday.

E.Choi--ThChM