Rebecca Ferguson’s Bonkers ‘Alien’ Replacement Is Officially the Perfect Sci-Fi Sleeper Hit
The 2017 sci-fi horror film Life, starring Rebecca Ferguson alongside Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal, has become an unexpected video-on-demand success despite its mixed reception and similarities to Alien. Its renewed popularity matters because it suggests the film has found a wider audience years after its original release, particularly as Ferguson’s profile continues to rise through major science-fiction roles.
Directed by Daniel Espinosa and written by Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick, Life follows spacecraft scientists confronting a rapidly evolving extraterrestrial predator. The film is not currently available on US subscription streaming services, but is reportedly among Ferguson’s most popular digital purchases in more than ten countries on services including Prime Video and iTunes; the article also notes her 2026 projects Mercy and Dune: Part Three.
- Life has become a quiet international VOD hit.
- The 2017 film stars Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal.
- Ferguson remains prominent in major science-fiction projects.
New here? Start with this
Life is a 2017 science-fiction horror film set aboard an international space station. A team of scientists studies a sample brought back from Mars, believing it may contain evidence of life beyond Earth.
The crew includes characters played by Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal. As the organism develops much faster than expected, the scientists must try to contain it before it becomes a danger to people on Earth.
The film was made by director Daniel Espinosa and writers Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick. It drew comparisons with the earlier Alien films because both feature crews in space facing a lethal non-human creature.