New 'Alien: Covenant' Trailer, Cast Photo Reveals James Franco's Role, Homage to 1979 'Alien'

"Alien: Covenant" will be hitting the theaters on May 19, 2017. A new trailer and cast photo have just been released, revealing James Franco's character and how the new film will pay homage to the original "Alien" film.

The "Alien: Covenant" 2017 movie will serve as a sequel to "Prometheus" but a prequel to the "Alien" franchise starring Sigourney Weaver. A photo of the cast was uploaded on Twitter on Feb. 21 revealing the crew members of the Covenant. The photo revealed James Franco as Capt. Branson, Katherine Waterston as Daniels, and Michael Fassbender as both David and Walter, among others.

Introducing the #AlienCovenant crew. Don’t miss @LegionFX on @FXNetworks tomorrow, February 22, for a special sneak peek. pic.twitter.com/fmP73LrcnY

— Alien: Covenant (@AlienAnthology) February 21, 2017

Michael Fassbender told Digital Spy some spoilers about his two characters. The "Alien: Covenant" plot revolves around the Covenant crew landing on the planet where the Prometheus crew was murdered. There, the new human crew will meet David (Michael Fassbender). According to Fassbender, David and his new version, Walter, won't get along well.

Aside from that interesting conflict, the 2017 film will give various nods to the 1979 movie. In a recently released "Alien: Covenant" trailer, the Covenant crew is having the "Last Supper", which mimics the jovial dinner in the original "Alien" film, before the crew goes into cyrosleep. In the video, the crew members are having fun when one of them starts coughing.

The music is ominous, but no alien jumps out of someone's chest. It's a false alarm and the trailer only serves to reinforce the difference between the 1979 and "Alien: Covenant", The Verge reported. Many fans have speculated that Daniels might be Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) mother, but the director hasn't confirmed that yet.

However, the photos and trailers revealed so far point out the two characters' similarities in personality and appearance. In the first "Alien: Covenant" trailer, Franco did not appear, although it was hinted that he had a former romantic relationship with Waterston's Daniels. Now, it would seem that he might be the iconic first alien victim.