Alien Romulus: Inside the life of 7ft sports star who brought film's new monster to life

Ashley Roberts attends the Alien: Romulus premiere

Warning: Major spoilers for Alien: Romulus ahead.

The latest instalment in the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus, has left fans divided. However, one thing everyone can agree on is how unexpected the introduction of a brand new creature was, regardless of whether the reveal was appreciated or not.

The Xenomorph-human hybrid, known as The Offspring, marked the acting debut of former basketball player Robert Bobroczkyi.

Director Fede Alvarez's desire for tangible practical effects led him to cast Bobroczkyi, a towering 7-foot-7 Romanian, to bring his new monster to life in this space horror film that straddles the timelines of Alien and Aliens.

The Offspring is born when Kay (portrayed by Isabela Merced) injects herself with black goo while pregnant, transforming her unborn child into a hybridised Engineer-type Xenomorph, in a horrifying nod to Ridley Scott's Prometheus, reports the Mirror.

The nightmarish Xenomorphs were joined by a new nightmare creature (Image: 20th Century Studios)

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But who exactly is Bobroczkyi and what made him the ideal choice for the role of the creature?

Born in 2000, Bobroczkyi (who speaks Hungarian, English, Serbian and Italian as well as his mother tongue) followed in his father Zsigmond's colossal footsteps by growing above 7 feet in height. Zsigmond played international basketball, while the youngster's 6-foot-1 mother Brunhilde was a star in the sporting disciplines of volleyball and handball too.

In 2014, the Italian basketball team A.S. Stella Azzurra snapped up the towering talent of Bobroczkyi. By 2016, he had relocated to Ohio to join SPIRE Institute and Academy, making his on-court debut in early 2017.

The new creature (not pictured) resembles the Engineers from Prometheus (Image: 20th Century Studios)

Bobroczkyi's journey took a turn when he committed to Rochester University in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans, prompting a return to Romania. However, by the following year, he was back in the US, and soon after, Hollywood came knocking.

Filmmaker Alvarez, speaking with USA Today about Bobroczkyi's role in Alien: Romulus, praised his search for a "really tall and skinny" actor that paid off spectacularly.

"He did an amazing performance for someone that has never done that before," he enthused. "Being tall is one thing next to Cailee [Spaeny] who is 5 feet tall, that's magic."

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The director continued: "But he really brought a talent that blew us all away. He goes toe-to-toe with Isabela in a face-to-face, and he's fantastic."

Daniel Macarin, the visual effects supervisor for the film, shared his awe with Variety, saying: "The first time I saw the plates, and this 7-foot actor in there, in his costume. It was terrifying.

"They did such an amazing job with the look and the feel of that character that we knew that everything that we could bring to it was just going to help."

Alien: Romulus is out now in cinemas.

Alien Romulus: Inside the life of 7ft sports star who brought film's new monster to life

Alien Romulus: Inside the life of 7ft sports star who brought film's new monster to life

Alien Romulus: Inside the life of 7ft sports star who brought film's new monster to life

Alien Romulus: Inside the life of 7ft sports star who brought film's new monster to life

Alien Romulus: Inside the life of 7ft sports star who brought film's new monster to life