‘Alien: Romulus’ guerilla marketing campaign sees New Yorkers struck down by facehuggers
New Yorkers are used to ignoring most stuff they see on the street, but a new guerilla marketing campaign for Alien: Romulus made even some New Yorkers pause.
Spotted by outlets including Screen Thrill, the campaign features people collapsed on the subway, hanging out of a cab window and even in the middle of Times Square, convulsing with “breathing” replicas of the alien parasites known as facehuggers covering their faces.
Back in April, Romulus director Fede Álvarezshowed off his new “favorite toy,” an extremely creepy facehugger prop that can skitter around the floor via remote control.
The Romulus campaign is similar to another viral effort from 20th Century Studios, when replicas of the ape men from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes patrolled California’s Venice Beach on horseback.
Alien: Romulus hits theaters Aug. 16.
20th Century Studios is a division of ABC News’ parent company, Disney.
Entertainment Weekly has a sneak peek of The Penguin, Max’s spin-off from Matt Reeves‘ blockbuster The Batman.
Reeves is producing the small-screen project centering on the ascent of Colin Farrell‘s Oz aka Penguin. Farrell tells the magazine, “I loved doing the part in the Batman film and the idea that we would get spoiled by having eight hours to really delve into this character’s psychology and backstory. Backstory plays a big part in the television show.”
Lead writer and showrunner Lauren LeFranc calls the show “a Scarface story,” adding, “It’s a rise-to-power story of Oz before he really makes it to the top.”
Set a week after the events of The Batman, which ended with Paul Dano‘s The Riddler flooding Gotham, LeFranc says, “We’re living in the underbelly of the city. … We’re in Oz’s world.”
LeFranc explains the show is a “bridge” between the Robert Pattinson blockbuster and Reeves’ anticipated sequel. “We’re going almost directly into the second film Matt has planned.”
The Penguin debuts on Max this September.
The Batman – Part II hits theaters on Oct. 3, 2025.
Legendary actor James Earl Jones, best known for his innumerable movie roles and the booming voice of the character of Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, has died, his representative confirmed to ABC News.
He was 93 years old.
Jones died on Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York, surrounded by his family, according to longtime agent Barry McPherson.
The thespian, whose powerful, deep voice brought to life the iconic villain, acted for more than six decades. In the 1950s and ’60s, Jones was a Broadway staple. From On Golden Pond to The Best Man, his work earned four Tony nominations, winning for The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987.
Almost simultaneously, he was garnering acclaim on TV, as well. The eventual two-time Emmy Award winner earned his first nod in the 1960s for his work on East Side/West Side.
He picked up both his Primetime Emmy wins in 1991, for best supporting actor in the miniseries Heat Wave and best actor for the series Gabriel’s Fire. He also won a Daytime Emmy for the children’s special Summer’s End in 2000.
Jones later earned his first Oscar nod, adapting The Great White Hope to the silver screen in 1970, playing boxer Jack Jefferson. Jones was just the second Black actor after Sidney Poitier — who was nominated in 1958 and 1963 — to be recognized by the academy with a nomination.
For the better part of the 1970s, Jones continued to juggle his work on stage, TV and film. Then, in 1977, he was cast as the voice of a new villain, Darth Vader, in the space saga Star Wars: A New Hope.
While bodybuilder David Prowse would be the figure behind the black mask of the Sith lord, Jones was the voice that uttered so many iconic lines in the film and its sequels — including “I find your lack of faith disturbing,” and then, of course, to Luke Skywalker in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, his big reveal, “No, I am your father.”
From 1977 to 1983, the three original Star Wars films would become some of the most revered and original movies of their time, not just for special effects, but also for the shocking plot and themes.
After Star Wars, Jones made memorable appearances in Eddie Murphy‘s 1988 film Coming to America, then starred opposite Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams in 1989. A few years later, he once again lent his voice to a famous character, starring in the Disney animated feature The Lion King as Mufasa.
Jones had almost 200 credits to his name, according to IMDB, as he stayed active for more than 60 years.
In 2011, Jones was given an honorary Academy Award for the breadth of his acclaimed work and in March 2022, it was announced that Broadway’s Cort Theatre would be renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.
Jones married twice. His second wife, Cecilia Hart, died in 2016 after 34 years of marriage. The couple is survived by their son, Flynn Earl Jones.