'Alien' Franchise Celebrating 40 Years with Collection of Shorts

The Alien franchise is turning 40 this June. To celebrate being over-the-hill, 20th Century Fox and Tongal, partnered to give fans a collection of new original shorts. Tongal, is a platform that connects brands, studios and networks with filmmakers to crowdsource new projects. Fans and filmmakers sent in over 550 submissions for the chance to expand the universe. As a result six new Alien stories are now heading our way.

James DeJulio, Tongal’s co-founder and CEO, in a statement released Wednesday: “This partnership with Fox is really reflective of Tongal’s mission to bring creative opportunities to the next generation of talent. Being able to give filmmakers everywhere the chance to make their mark on an iconic franchise and extend the Alien narrative was really special for us and everyone involved. And the superfans delivered in a big way. We can’t wait for the fans to see what they’ve created. Because at the end of the day, it was made for them.”

Official descriptions provided by Fox:

Alien: Alone

Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life. Written and directed by Noah Miller.

Alien: Containment

Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction. They find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected. Written and directed by Chris Reading.

Alien: Harvest

The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along. Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell.

Alien: Night Shift

When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens. Leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands. Written and directed by Aidan Breznick.

Alien: Ore

As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances. Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders. And facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family. Written and directed by the Spear Sisters.

Alien: Specimen

It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts, the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an Alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo. And a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host. Written and directed by Kelsey Taylor.

The shorts debut this week at Seattle’s Emerald City Comic-Con, then will be released weekly on IGN, beginning March 29th. Then they will head to the social media channels, AlienUniverse.com and the @AlienAnthology. Finally more exclusive behind-the-scenes content will begin on May 5th.

So check out the trailer below, and follow ScaryNerd for more