Nichols also announced the film, backed by Paramount, back in 2021. The director did not hold back in evidencing his enthusiasm, describing a movie with big ambitions, yet one tempered by and grounded in an all-American reality: Arkansas.

For some, M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi horror movie Signs definitely comes to mind alongside Dan Trachtenberg’s 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Fans of the filmmaker will know Nichols was referencing, however, subtly, the late ’80s crime thriller Alien Nation. The original movie was memorably set in a world where aliens coexist with humans and effectively explored profound themes: racism, xenophobia, and otherness—all through the familiar lens of a buddy-cop narrative.

Given Jeff Nichols’ talent, his vision should retain the spirit of the original Alien Nation while contributing a special touch to the source material.