"Alien: Covenant" -- 20th Century Fox released a brand new poster for the highly anticipated new film late last week via the movie's official Twitter account. While star Michael Fassbender is absent from the poster, one terrifying figure lurks in the corner -- the Alien Queen.

Meet Walter

Along with the poster, the studio has also released MeetWalter, a video clip and new website where you can get to know the ins and outs of Walter, Michael Fassbender's perfect synthetic companion in the film. It's a role that hearkens back to his semi-malevolent David from 2012's "Prometheus." Fassbender plays both roles in the upcoming movie.

In "Alien: Covenant," the story bridges the gap between "Prometheus" and the rest of the "Alien" franchise, and incorporates elements of both, including Michael Fassbender and the acid-drooling xenomorphs. In the latest trailer, entitled "The Last Supper," there are scenes of someone choking at the table, and a crew member who doesn't feel so great...we've seen these things happen before. In published interviews, director Ridley Scott promised fans of the franchise some answers to those crucial questions that have lingered since the beginning -- including, finally, who created the murderous xenomorphs and why.

'Alien: Covenant'

The action in "Alien: Covenant" occurs some time after the events of "Prometheus," and some time before Sigourney Weaver's Ripley and the original crew return to Earth in the spaceship Nostromo in 1979's original "Alien." A new space crew on the ship Covenant finds what they think is an uninhabited planet. It seems like paradise -- beautiful and peaceful -- until they notice the complete absence of any other living thing.

What they do find is evidence of human land cultivation, David the android, and those evil pods waiting to sprout face-huggers.

Noomi Rapace is also set to resume her role as Elizabeth Shaw, last seen at the very end of "Prometheus" as she jets off to find the origins of the mysterious Engineers with David. But, the nature of her role remains mysterious.

In comments to reporters at SXSW in March, Ridley Scott was ambiguous, and said that she'd be in the film "in a way." Since David is all the crew of the Covenant they find when they land on the deceptively peaceful undiscovered planet, it can only be surmised that the synthetic companion had something to do with her fate.

As for the Alien Queen, so far there's no word on whether she makes an appearance. She was last seen in 2004's "Alien vs. Predator."

Scott said that he already had the next movie in the franchise written, and planned to make at least four more films if "Alien: Covenant" is successful. "Alien: Covenant" premieres on May 19, 2017.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED