In 2020, we learned that long-time Alien series producers Walter Hill and David Giler wrote a recent treatment for a potential Alien 5 which they had sent to Sigourney Weaver. While Sigourney had seemed unsure about the prospect of returning to the character, or that Sir Ridley Scott would be either, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter (via Joblo) Walter Hill states that Disney has no interest in exploring the character of Ripley any further.
“We took a shot at that a couple of years back with Sigourney. But that was back when Aliens was still at Fox. The people at Disney, who now control Aliens, have expressed no interest in going down that road. I had an idea for a good story with the Ripley character and Sigourney.”
Walter Hill and David Giler at the premiere of Alien 3.
We actually know very little of what Walter Hill and David Giler’s treatment was about, with only the title page of the treatment having been shared by the writer-producers. The title page featured 2 quotes: One from Edgar Allan Poe regarding dreams, and another from William Tecumseh Sherman that simply states “war is hell.” Dreams are also mentioned at the top of the title page, with a play on the famous Alien tagline, that “in space no one can you dream.”
With this prevalence of dreams being mentioned, is it possible that we would have seen them used a major tool in the treatment? The news that Disney is not interested in continuing the storyline of Ellen Ripley may come as a relief to those fans who think the franchise has become over-reliant on that name.
And while Disney may not want to see Ripley return, the Alien itself is making a return in Fede Alvarez’s upcoming Alien film, which is currently in development. Thanks to Nukiemorph for the link.
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To be fair, I do regularly check London Prop Store, but in all honesty I've never really delved into the world of auction for this kind of thing. I'd assume it'd be well out of my price range but I would have at least entertained the idea.
It exists. It's the 1990 draft of Alien3 by Larry Ferguson. The last known draft made for Vincent Ward's version of Alien3.
It's just as insane as advertised. Was sold a few years back at a studio auction.
New owner of the sold draft isn't interested in scanning. (also would be hard to scan without damaging the copy).
(Avpg could've bought it, btw... you guys really gotta keep an eye out for rare production materials...)
this was the site where it went up
https://www.icollector.com/Alien-3-Early-First-Draft-Production-Script-A868_i42949692
Oh my LOL. Yeah, I should clarify. You're right. I think they have steered it downhill big time SINCE Alien and Aliens. Yeah, they helped knock the series out of the park. They also helped knock it off the rails. They absolutely deserve praise and criticism equally.
Same
Then he wanted to go to the Alien Homeworld.
Either one would probably work okay for the end of the trilogy, but... eh.
I don't think we would have gotten anything much better than what we got. Unless Gibson got a crack at a third draft and iterated refinements in that in the same direction he was going with draft 2. Draft 2 is my favorite Alien 3 script.
Fincher wrings every page for all possible available drama.
If anyone else had directed it, no one would be talking about it still.
...Imagine Renny Harlin handling this material.
I can't argue with that. Though Alien 3 is like Schrodinger's movie. Did Golic release the alien? Was it captured? Dog or Ox? Where did that one bald british bloke actually die?
Speaks to the brilliant direction of David Fincher that the movie still has so many great moments even with the myriad of problems.
Oh I agree. I'm all for that.
I just don't think it should be from the result of not knowing what to do with a scene so you just put some stuff in there and hope it sorts itself out.
That's cool. I like lots of stuff that upsets people. And other people like lots of stuff that upsets me.
They upset people though.
A lovecraftian horror that I tried to fix several times.
F*ck it.
What about them ?
What about the first five minutes?
Thus far we have, as far as I know, just the one movie under Disney's belt. Prey. By all accounts (I haven't seen it yet), it's done a damn sight better than The Predator did, and comparatively with the other half of this franchise, better than Prometheus and Covenant did for the Alien series.
So, Disney is off to the right start. I haven't cared much for some of the details i've heard about the upcoming Alien series, but, well... We'll see what happens. I hope it will be amazing... and that would be two for two under Disney's reign.
As to the topic at hand. Ripley shouldn't have made it beyond Alien 3. For all its flaws the final ten minutes of that movie are absolutely solid and end the series the best way I think they could have. No need to go back to the well.
From long before the Disney merger.
Yeah...I'm gonna cry in a corner now with my stuffed face hugger plushy
I do whole heartedly blame Fox in the long run though, they really mishandled this franchise going into the 2000s. So it's no surprise they got bought out by Disney of all companies. Really makes that joke in Alien Resurrection even more funnier when the doctor said Weyland was bought out by Walmart in the future haha.
Same thing happened to George Lucas.
It didn't look like it with his recent movies, but I guess it's possible.
I'd love new entry with Ripley 8. I'd also love to see another take or adult version of Newborn creature.
He's a victim of his own success at this point, in that people who really should, won't say "no" to him and the end product is inferior for it.
You just don't want him making story decisions.
He's not directing it, that's the most important part for me.
I think there is enough or even more potential for interesting stories in the Alien-universe without Ripley.
Why ?
Back in the DH Press days they did a novel called Original Sin that follows Ripey 8 and the Betty survivors in the aftermath of Resurrection, and deals with (a pre-Prometheus/Engineers interpretation of) the Space Jockies.
There's also the Aliens vs Predator vs Terminator crossover comic which, for some reason, decided to tether itself into a post-Resurrection timeframe and feature Ripley 8.
I am shocked that the haven't gotten anything really alluding to Ripley 8 in the modern era of expanded universe material, however. There is one post-Resurrection set novel that I'm aware of, but I think it's more interested in reestablishing Weyland-Yutani and bringing the setting back to the old status quo than it is in actually following on from any threads from Resurrection, from what I've heard.
If not, then what's stopping them to make it in another media like comics or a game?
I can't disagree with that.