'Alien: Romulus' is both a sequel and a prequel. Here's how it fits into the 'Alien' timeline.

• "Alien: Romulus" follows a group of scavengers as they break into a derelict space station.
• But the crew discovers Xenomorphs in the station and have to fight to escape.
• The film is technically an "interquel" because of where it takes place in the "Alien" timeline.

" Alien: Romulus " is the latest chapter in the "Alien" franchise , which started with the original 1979 "Alien." But the 2024 movie makes it clear where it takes place in the timeline.

The film leans heavily on practical effects to bring the terrifying Xenomorphs to life in the claustrophobic story. It follows a crew of scavengers who break into a derelict space station to steal supplies in order to travel to a new, peaceful planet.

Once inside, they discover that the corporation that owned the station was experimenting with the monstrous creatures, and it isn't long before they're fleeing for their lives.

In fact, one "Alien: Romulus" scene was so disturbing that the crew couldn't even watch it back, according to actor Isabela Merced.

It's understandable that some fans might wonder when "Alien: Romulus" takes place in the "Alien" timeline because this is the ninth movie in the franchise.

Thankfully, the opening scene clears things up before the crew starts getting butchered.

"Alien: Romulus" takes place in between the events of "Alien" and "Aliens."

The film kicks off with a ship owned by Weyland-Yutani, the nefarious corporation at the heart of the franchise, as it flies toward a huge field of debris in space.

As the torch illuminates the wreckage, the light reveals that it's actually the Nostromo — the ship from the first "Alien" movie .

This establishes the fact that "Alien: Romulus" takes place roughly 20 years after the original film, which saw Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) activate the Nostromo's self-destruct system in an attempt to kill the Xenomorph. Although the alien escaped into the shuttle with Ripley, she eventually booted it out of the airlock.

The new film establishes that Weyland-Yutani was able to retrieve its body to start running experiments on the creature.

"Alien" takes place in 2122, which puts "Alien: Romulus" in 2142. James Cameron's sequel "Aliens" is set in 2179.

This makes the 2024 movie an "interquel" since it is both a sequel to the original film and a prequel to Cameron's follow-up, which was originally released in 1986.

Considering "Alien: Romulus" made $108 million worldwide in its opening weekend, it's highly likely that the executives at 20th Century Studios and Disney are already considering how to continue the story with a sequel .

Beyond future movie plans, there's already an "Alien" TV series from "Fargo" creator Noah Hawley in the works. Per Deadline , the show is set toward the end of the 21st century, a few years before the events of "Prometheus."