Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Alien: Romulus!
Summary
Alien: Romulusbrings back originalAlienstar Ian Holm, and how the Ash actor is back for the franchise is surprising. With Fede Álvarez’s movie taking place betweenAlienandAliensin the franchise timeline, there was always an expectation thatAlien: Romuluswould hold connections to the original movie. What was not known was just how heavily connected to prior installments it really is. WhileAlien: Romulus' castis mostly filled with new characters played by younger actors, one of the movie’s biggest surprises isRook, an android with Ian Holm’s appearance and voice.
Rook plays a vital role inAlien: Romulus' story, as his module is transferred to Andy (David Jonsson), allowing his prime directive to continue. Seeing Ian Holm’s face and hearing his voice is unexpected consideringthe actor died in 2020. Still, the Ash performer is featured inAlien: Romulusas the only cast member from Ridley Scott’s original 1979 movie to return for the movie set 20 years later. With Ripley still missing duringAlien: Romulus' ending, the movie got creative with Ian Holm’s role to build on Ash’s story after the android’s demise.
Where Ripley Is During Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus focuses on a new group of characters, leaving questions about where Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is during the movie.
Alien: Romulus' Rook Is A New Version Of Ian Holm’s Ash
They Have Many Similarities
Ian Holm’s character inAlien: Romulusis not Ash, as Rook is an entirely new android. He is not a rebuilt version ofAsh malfunctions in 1979’sAlienand dies. That said, Rook is still very clearly modeled after Ash. This is similar to how Ridley Scott treated Michael Fassbender’s David inPrometheusandAlien: Covenant, as there were different models of the same android who shared an appearance and voice but had different programming, abilities, and more. Instead ofAlien: Romulusneeding to rebuild Ash to tell the same story, it introduces Rook as a new model of him.
Alien: Romulus’ New Xenomorph Explained: Origin, Differences, & Future
Alien: Romulus introduces a new Xenomorph to the long-running franchise, and it’s one of the most frightening additions to the series in ages.
Rook and Ash have more in common than just sharing Ian Holm’s appearance too. Rook’s prime directive is to ensure that the original mission that brought him to the Renaissance space station is fulfilled by any means necessary. He is meant to get Weyland whatever remains of the original Xenomorph fromAlienand the results of trying to create a new compound likePrometheus' black goo. This is noticeably similar to Ash’s directive in the original movie, which was a secret to the entire Nostromo crew at first. It seems that Weyland built Rook to continue Ash’s mission years later.
How Alien: Romulus Made Rook Look & Sound Like Ian Holm
Holm Died Before Production Began
Since Ian Holm died in 2020, he was unable to participate inAlien: Romulus' production, which did not begin until 2023. Holm is still listed inAlien: Romulus' creditsfor providing Rook’s"facial and vocal reference.“This means that the movie had to utilize different technological advances to make Rook look and sound like the late actor.
It is not yet confirmed exactly what technologyAlien: Romulusemployed to make Rook look and sound like Ian Holm. However, it is clear thatsome form of CGI was used to make the character have Holm’s physical traits. Deepfake technology was likely utilized in some capacity, as it allows a different actor to play Rook in the movie but have Holm’s face digitally added overtop a real performance. Since Ian Holm had plenty of movie roles beyondAlien, there is a lot of footage thatAlien: Romuluscould pull from to believably make Rook’s appearance work.
The same is likely true for howAlien: Romulususes Ian Holm’s voice for Rook.He did not record any new dialogue for the movie, nor are any of Rook’s lines repurposed from the original movie or pulled from deleted scenes. It is possible that the movie used some form of AI to recreate Ian Holm’s voice and say Rook’s lines, but that is not confirmed. This could only be accomplished through using some form of technology, though. So whether it is deepfake tech, AI, or something else,Alien: Romulusdid not actually have Ian Holm play Rook.
Who Plays Rook In Alien: Romulus?
A Different Actor Was Involved
Rook might look and sound like Ian Holm inAlien: Romulus, but there was a different actor involved in the movie’s production to bring the character to life. The movie officiallycredits the"facial and vocal performance"of Rook to Daniel Betts. He is the one who was physically part of filming and the foundation for the digital changes that came to make Rook seem like Ian Holm. His physical performance was the basis for what the digital version of Ian’s face did. The same could be true for Rook’s line deliveries.
Daniel Betts is an actor who has been in plenty of projects beforeAlien: Romulus. He’s worked with Brad Pitt repeatedly onFury,Allied, andWar Machine. Betts is also known for playing Ernst von Hannover inThe Crownand Professor Ben Harvey inFate: The Winx Saga. Other notable credits includeA Confession,Atlantic Crossing,Gentleman Jack,Emmerdale Farm, andAfter the Flood. His role inAlien: Romulusas Rook issimilar to howRogue One: A Star Wars Storyhad Guy Henry play Grand Moff Tarkinbefore Peter Cushing’s appearance digitally replaced him.
David & Bishop Could’ve Worked
The decision to have Rook look like Ash inAlien: Romulusis notable since Ian Holm’s appearance did not have to be used for the android. The franchise previously established thatthere are other androids with different physical looks. The movie could have conceivably utilized a synthetic who looked like Michael Fassbender’s David or Lance Henriksen’s Bishop. Since Fassbender and Henriksen are still alive,Alien: Romuluscould have avoided any ethical dilemmas that come with digitally recreating a deceased actor as it did with Ian Holm.
It would seem that the best explanation for Rook resembling Ash is a matter of the main story and the overallAlientimeline.Alien: Romulusclearlywanted Rook to feel like a continuation of Ash, so making the two androids look identical accomplishes that. The decision does create an unresolved question as to why Weyland created another android modeled after Ash, especially since Bishop notes inAlienshow problematic that model proved to be.
Ian Holm/Daniel Betts
Alien: Romulus (2024)
As for why David and Bishop were not used as the basis for Rook in Ash’s place, there are some possibilities. It is presumed thatthe David models were discontinuedsometime betweenAlien: CovenantandAlien, so Rook looking like Fassbender’s character could have raised questions.Alien: Romuluscould have been a great opportunity to show the introduction of the Bishop android models and lead intoAliens. However, since Rook’s prime directive is more aligned with Ash’s versus Bishop’s, it makes sense forAlien: Romulusto connect them through sharing Ian Holm’s likeness.
