It’s a summer of Invasion. Close encounters of the third kind can be seen in Pixar’s Elio, DC’s Superman, Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps, anime series Dandadan, Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth, and the upcoming third season of Invasion, premiering August 22 on Apple TV+. The truth is out there, as they say, and our fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life continues. “This is not a warning,” the Invasion teaser reads, “This is war.” (A war of the worlds, perhaps.)
Created by Simon Kinberg (The Martian) and David Weil (Hunters), Invasion “follows an alien invasion through different perspectives around the world,” per the synopsis. “In season three, those perspectives collide for the first time, as the series’ main characters are brought together to work as a team on a critical mission to infiltrate the alien mothership. The ultimate apex aliens have finally emerged, rapidly spreading their deadly tendrils across our planet. It will take all our heroes working together, using all their experience and expertise, to save our species. New relationships are formed, old [relationships] are challenged and even shattered, as our international cast of characters must become a team before it’s too late.”
The Invasion teaser shows off Apple’s impressive special effects budget in a way that recalls sci-fi favorites like Arrival or Annihilation. Unlike Arrival, these aliens are definitely a threat, but like Annihilation, there’s otherworldly beauty and horror to this contact with the unknown. Stars Golshifteh Farahani, Shioli Kutsuna, Shamier Anderson, India Brown, Shane Zaza, and Enver Gjokaj are all set to return, in addition to new series regular Erika Alexander.
The second season of Invasion aired in 2023, and the show was renewed in February 2024. “I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to do with our first two seasons of the show with our partners at Apple TV+ and our cast and crew,” Kinberg said in a statement at the time. “This new season will continue to build on the scale, stakes and propulsion of the Invasion, while keeping our characters front and center, bringing them together in ways that will hopefully surprise and most importantly move our audience, who have been so incredibly supportive and inspiring since day one.”
