Alien Legacies: The Evolution of the Franchise

Abstract

Alien (1979) has left an indelible mark on popular culture. Conceived primarily to cash in on the popularity of science-fiction films in the late 1970s, directed by a person known for making adverts (Ridley Scott) and starring an unknown actor in the lead role (Sigourney Weaver), it transcended its humble origins to frighten and disturb audiences on its initial release. Its success has led to three direct sequels, two prequels, one ‘mashup’ franchise, a series of comic books, graphic novels, novelizations and games, and has an enormous and devoted fanbase. For forty years, Alien (and its progeny) has animated debate and discussion among critics and academics from a wide variety of disciplines and methodological perspectives.
This collection brings together scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to explore Alien forty years since its release. The chapters here demonstrate the extent to which this is multifaceted, with the Alien franchise straddling the lines between “high” and “low” culture, playing with generic categories, crossing media boundaries, and animating theoretical, critical, and political debates. In so doing, the collection aims to debate Alien’s legacy, consider its current position within visual culture, and to establish what the series means (and why it still matters) forty years since its birth.

Citation

Abrams, N., & Frame, G. (Eds.). (2023). Alien Legacies: The Evolution of the Franchise. Oxford University Press (OUP)

• Book Type: Edited Book
• Online Publication Date: Apr 6, 2023
• Publication Date: Apr 6, 2023
• Deposit Date: Apr 25, 2023
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
• ISBN: 9780197556030
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/19006352
• Publisher URL: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/alien-legacies-9780197556030?cc=gb&lang=en&