A Witness to the Wreckage and Rage, Talking to Alien 3 Screenwriter Rex Pickett - AvP Galaxy Podcast #146

[Corporal Hicks]

We have just uploaded the 146th episode of the Alien vs. Predator Galaxy Podcast (right-click and save as to download)! In this episode Aaron and Adam are joined by Rex Pickett, one of the many screenwriters subjected to the Hell of Alien 3’s development.

Better known now as the author of Sideways, a novel that Alexander Payne adapted into film, and Rex himself adapted for stage, Rex Pickett's involvement in Alien 3's development is often boiled down to two simple comments – doing a sneaky last-minute rewrite that pissed off Walter Hill and David Giler, and a critique of their script that pissed them off.

Rex kindly joined us on the podcast to lay bare his experiences working alongside David Fincher, and in opposition to Walter Hill and David Giler, to provide us with a frank and honest first-hand account of that infamous nightmarish production.

Rex discusses how his wife, who was assistant to both Vincent Ward and David Fincher, leaked him scripts which allowed Rex to do a stealth rewrite, how David Fincher snuck Rex to the United Kingdom without the studio or producer’s knowledge, the infamous memo that contributed towards his departure from the production, the fickle nature of Hollywood productions, and plenty more!

Rex’s draft of Alien 3 is available to read in our Downloads section, alongside many other previous drafts of Alien 3 and the other Alien and Predator films.

What did you think of our latest episode? Be sure to let us know down below! You can also listen to any of our previous episodes in the Podcast section under the News tab on the main menu. The Alien vs. Predator Galaxy Podcast is also available via iTunes, PodBean, GooglePlay Stitcher, and Spotify! Please be sure to leave a rating and review on whichever platform you're using!

And if you'd rather see our beautiful faces, as always, the video version of the podcast is also available on the Alien vs. Predator Galaxy YouTube channel!

As discussed in the episode Rex’s most recent novel, The Archivist, is also available to purchase on Amazon (UK/US).

We’ve previously had the pleasure of being joined on the podcast by Charles de Lauzirika to discuss the effort that went into producing the Assembly Cut of Alien 3. If you haven’t already (or fancy a refresher) be sure to check that episode out! We have also spoken to both Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. in the past, both of whom shared their experiences working on the set of Alien 3.

Make sure your browsers are locked into Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Alien and Predator news! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to get the latest on your social media walls. Be sure to join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums as well!

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[TC]

Sideways. Secondly only to Aliens for quotable quotes 

[Kradan]

An interview that is almost 2 hours long ? You're spoiling us, Corporal !

[BlueMarsalis79]

Now this makes the wait worthwhile!

[Darwinsgirl]

Such a coincidence for me. I just watched "Wreckage and Rage" this week.

I just finished watching this. WOW this has been the most enlightening interview for me  about ALIEN 3. I so appreciated Mr Pickett's raw honesty about it.   Learning how the politics and egos shaped this film.

Great interview Aaron & Adam.

And many thanks Mr. Pickett for giving this interview.

[BlueMarsalis79]

45 minutes into it.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

It's clear to me now after all this time that, even if a better cut of Alien³ exists out there as Ralph Brown suggested, it's not David Fincher's vision (and Rex Pickett's frankly) that got torn to shreds by David Giler and Walter Hill before cameras even started rolling.

What good that survived into the resulting film's only through the persistence of everyone on the ground floor doing their best to make the unworkable work.

[T Dog]

I'm 26 minutes in and this shit is crazy! Ward got fired for being a coked up mess. The subsequent writer was requesting hookers around the clock!

[GreybackElder]

Wow, I knew things were bad on set. But jeez I had no idea David Giler and Walter Hill pretty much tanked the movie.  It's so sad, I would have loved to see Rex Picketts version of things.

[T Dog]

I've listened to most of it now and I'm personally going to take some of what he says with a grain of salt. There of course must be truth in there but I would like to hear Walter Hill's side of things since I do think he has made some classic movies; although yeah, by the time the 90's rolled around he may have been jaded and lazy!

Clearly though Pickett LOVES to hear himself talk and a lot of what he say's is repetition but I have have to wonder how much hyperbole is being spoken, especially when he makes an untrue statement with complete conviction such as "95% of Back to The Future was reshot after Eric Stoltz was replaced" which is absolutely false.

Anyway guys, it was a great listen, thank you for the podcast.

[BlueMarsalis79]

I've listened to most of it now and I'm personally going to take some of what he says with a grain of salt. There of course must be truth in there but I would like to hear Walter Hill's side of things since I do think he has made some classic movies; although yeah, by the time the 90's rolled around he may have been jaded and lazy!

Clearly though Pickett LOVES to hear himself talk and a lot of what he say's is repetition but I have have to wonder how much hyperbole is being spoken, especially when he makes an untrue statement with complete conviction such as "95% of Back to The Future was reshot after Eric Stoltz was replaced" which is absolutely false.

Anyway guys, it was a great listen, thank you for the podcast.

Thank you for posting this, I didn't honestly think to take a step back and look at it that way.

Although I'm sure much of it is true.

This did dampen my enthusiasm for the film.

[Corporal Hicks]

I have have to wonder how much hyperbole is being spoken, especially when he makes an untrue statement with complete conviction such as "95% of Back to The Future was reshot after Eric Stoltz was replaced" which is absolutely false.

Indeed, it was only a few weeks shooting with Stoltz but I don't think the mistake invalidates Rex's perspective.

There of course must be truth in there but I would like to hear Walter Hill's side of things since I do think he has made some classic movies; although yeah, by the time the 90's rolled around he may have been jaded and lazy!

I'm particularly curious to know which dialogue came from those other shows or movies!

Ward got fired for being a coked up mess. The subsequent writer was requesting hookers around the clock!

Ferguson's involvement in the series is much like Rex's prior to speaking to him, not that well known. Ferguson's drafts aren't even out there - all we know is that comment from Sigourney about Ripley being written as a pissed off gym instructor.

But the Ward stuff...I did not expect that. Rex goes into far more detail about what his wife (Ward and Fincher and Hill's assistance) told him in his memoirs. I'm looking forward to seeing that published!

I'm glad everyone is enjoying this, despite the tone of it. I know we're at this point where Alien 3 is more well loved (though not quite as much a turnaround as I think we might expect) but change of perspective on the finished product will never change the experiences of the people who worked on it. And that's an important part of the production history that we need to not forget.

[Darkness]

Yes, some pretty shocking revelations in there. I hope he doesn't get into trouble for things that he said.

[BlueMarsalis79]

If even around half of it is true, no Alien³ book makes way more sense now, cat's out of the bag though.

[Corporal Hicks]

He has spoke about this in a French publication called Fantastyka where I believe this was all put out there too.

[Xenomorphine]

It's clear to me now after all this time that, even if a better cut of Alien³ exists out there as Ralph Brown suggested, it's not David Fincher's vision (and Rex Pickett's frankly) that got torn to shreds by David Giler and Walter Hill before cameras even started rolling.

Yeah, that's what struck me, too. A lot of fans truly believe he's mellowed out about it and uphold this as a literal masterpiece, but it's now clearer than ever that very little of what was even shot on camera shares any resemblance with what attracted him to the project.

There's a 'Hellraiser' comic, during the time Marvel had the licence, where it was one big allegory for production hell: A writer has this beautiful baby and takes it to a Hollywood producer, who proceeds to mutilate it beyond all recognition, certain that all the body modifications will make it superior, even though the result end is a horrifying mess - and convinces the writer to not only sell it to him, but create even more to be put through the same treatment, in the hope that going through the same process will eventually lead to success.

That very much came to mind while listening to this.

I'm glad everyone is enjoying this, despite the tone of it. I know we're at this point where Alien 3 is more well loved (though not quite as much a turnaround as I think we might expect) but change of perspective on the finished product will never change the experiences of the people who worked on it. And that's an important part of the production history that we need to not forget.

No matter what one's view of the film is, setting the truth free can only be a good thing. We're always better off for an insider's honesty, especially with film history.

While the reputations of certain folk mentioned in this will suffer, it's probably given us all a greater appreciation for Fincher and his principled stance in trying to weather through that impossible storm. It's also helped to round out Weaver's role in all of this and how she, in turn, was being used and influenced by others seeking to weaponise her involvement. Hollywood politics can be extremely dirty and Fox actually comes out of this looking a lot better than many had assumed.

I really do believe that this interview did a valuable service to the community as a whole. Well done, guys.