Fans who simply can’t get enough Alien Action can now enjoy a brand new audio drama, set between the first two Alien films.
Alien: Out Of The Shadows, stars Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) in his first role for audio, Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter), Corey Johnson (The Bourne Ultimatum), Kathryn Drysdale (Two Pints Of Lager) and is directed and produced by the renowned radio director Dirk Maggs (radio series of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy), based on the original novel by award-winning author Tim Lebbon.
The story follows Chief Engineer Hooper (Corey Johnson), who finds himself in command of a stricken orbital mining vessel after its captain is killed. Hooper finds himself not only responsible for the lives of his fellow crew, but also for the survivor of the only previous alien encounter, Ripley (Laurel Lefkow).
Hooper’s ship, a large mining freighter, is in orbit over a planet whilst servicing a mine on its surface below. Suddenly, two of its drop ships appear unexpectedly from the storm-lashed planet, with on-board cameras revealing alien creatures are loose on the vessels, attacking the mining crew on their return to the freighter. The crew must struggle not only against the ferocious predatory aliens but also against Ash (Rutger Hauer), the Artificial Intelligence on board the freighter that will stop at nothing to secure an alien specimen alive.
Rutger Hauer (voicing Ash) says, “Working on such a famous franchise was a challenge, but an amazing one to have. This was also my first introduction to audio work; it was fascinating to focus on just how powerful the voice can be for such a unique, non-human character like Ash. In the art form I work in, creating compelling audio drama is the ultimate illusion.”
Matthew Lewis (voicing Baxter) says of working on audio, “Audiobooks and dramas are a new medium for me, but luckily I was working with some true professionals who I could learn from; since its audio only, you have to squeeze as much emotion from every line as you can without overdoing it. I’m a huge fan of the Alien universe and the opportunity to be a part of that was very exciting – I love playing all kinds of different characters from different walks of life, and a seasoned bridge officer such as Baxter in a science fiction scenario was a completely new one for me too.”
Alien: Out Of The Shadows is available to download from 26th April (pre-order now) at www.audible.co.uk/scream.