New ‘Alien: Covenant’ Images Arrive With a Mysterious Code as James Franco Confirms His Role

There’s something interesting going on with these new images from Alien: Covenant, both of which were delivered with a series of numbers. They might not mean anything, but it seems unlikely that 20th Century Fox’s PR department would send images out with generic file numbers attached. While you puzzle over what these numbers mean (enjoy your traumatic LOST flashbacks), James Franco has basically confirmed his role in Ridley Scott’s new Alien prequel — just don’t expect him to reveal any specific details.

First up are two new images from Alien: Covenant — the one above features a few characters (presumably the new colony crew, led by Katherine Waterston’s Daniels) enjoying a little space nap; the other, below, gives off serious Sicario / Zero Dark Thirty vibes, and features a Black Ops or military team of some kind creeping up on their target (presumably Xenomorphs):

The images had the number sequences “220512052104” and “130112062104” attached with no explanation — perhaps it’s a code relating to a mission, or maybe it’s a hint about when we’ll see the first trailer.

In related news, James Franco recently spoke with Hey U Guys about his new holiday comedy Why Him?, and the interviewer took a very sly approach to asking the actor about his role in Alien: Covenant. Instead of asking a direct “yes” or “no” question, he asks Franco what it’s like to be a part of such a significant franchise. As soon as the interviewer mentions the film, Franco kind of rolls his eyes like, “Oh, here we go,” and while he doesn’t say much about it, he does acknowledge that he has a part in it — and seems pretty surprised that the news is already out:

Alien: Covenant hits theaters on May 19, 2017.