Whenever production wraps on a highly-anticipated movie, the countdown then begins for the first trailer to be unveiled. 20th Century Fox's Alien: Covenant wrapped back in July. Today, fans are giving thanks for the unveiling of the first poster. This one-sheet not only gives us a look at the brand new Xenomorph alien, but it also reveals the surprising news that the movie will hit theaters three months earlier than originally planned, in the summer of 2017.

The poster surfaced on 20th Century Fox's official Twitter for the franchise, which could also indicate that the first trailer may be just around the corner, especially now that the release date was moved up three months. The poster reveals that the movie will now hit theaters May 19, 2017, going up against Paramount's Baywatch remake, New Line's horror sequel Annabelle 2, 20th Century Fox's family sequel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and Open Road Films' animated sequel The Nut Job 2. If it would have stayed in its August 4, 2017 date, it would be going up against Open Road Films' All I See Is You and Blazing Samurai, along with Sony's EmojiMovie: Express Yourself.

If the new trailer does arrive soon, then perhaps it will confirm the latest rumor about this sci-fi sequel. Actor Michael Fassbender revealed last month that he is actually portraying multiple android characters in Alien: Covenant. The actor will be reprising his role as the robot David from 2012's Prometheus, but also another alien character named Walter. The actor also revealed that director Ridley Scott already had a cut of the movie assembled, calling the director "a machine," which could be a factor into why the studio pushed the release date up three whole months.

It's worth noting that, if 20th Century Fox is planning on unveiling the first trailer soon, the studio could possibly attach the first footage to their action-packed video game adaptation Assassin's Creed, which is set to hit theaters on December 21. It isn't known what will be shown in the trailer, but hopefully it will give us a glimpse at the new Xenomorph shown on the poster in action. Even if the studio is planning a theatrical trailer release with Assassin's Creed, the first footage may very well debut online before that date.

Alien: Covenant centers on members of an intergalactic expedition, aboard the ship Covenant, who discover what they think is an uncharted paradise. They soon find that this planet is a dark and dangerous place, whose only inhabitant is David (Michael Fassbender), the sole surviving member of the Prometheus expedition. Back in November, director Ridley Scott teased that Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw, who was also alive at the end of Prometheus, will have a just a small role in Alien: Covenant, but there have been other reports that her role has been cut entirely.

Alien: Covenant also stars Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Jussie Smollett, Amy Seimetz, Carmen Ejogo and Callie Hernandez. Ridley Scott is directing from a script by Jack Paglen, Michael Green and John Logan. Take a look at the new poster for Alien: Covenant, as we wait for official news on the first trailer.

Alien: Covenant Poster