Posted in: 20th Century Studios, Movies | Tagged: 20th century studios, alien, alien 3, aliens, film

Renny Harlin Reveals Details Behind His Alien 3 Pitch

Filmmaker Renny Harlin shares some of the details behind his original pitch for Alien 3 which would have been an Earth-focused story.

David Fincher's Alien 3 hasn't exactly been a positive memory for fans of the Alien franchise, especially after the iconic films Alien and Aliens, which set that bar extremely high. And even with the return of franchise legend Sigourney Weaver, the character's role, overarching story, and overall direction just didn't feel like it utilized the rich universe crafted within its first two installments. Now, one of the film's almost-directors is speaking up about his interpretation of the trajectory of the franchise and his specific vision about where the franchise could have gone with Alien 3.

Filmmaker Renny Harlin Discusses His Original Idea for Alien 3

During an interview with /Film, director Renny Harlin discussed the scrapped idea for his Alien 3 film and how it would have gone in an entirely different direction from the not-so-popular entry that fans were given. Harlin explained, "I was working on Alien 3 in '89, which was before Jurassic Park and all those movies. So, the concept of having these creatures on Earth for the studio, it felt scary and unattainable. For me, it was the natural evolution. We've had the Alien [movie] with the truck drivers in space, we've had Aliens with the Marines in space, and where do we go next? Let's bring the aliens on Earth and have them going through the cornfield." Harlin then continued, "I had the poster already in my mind with the farmhouse and the cornfield in moonlight, and they are going through the cornfield. To this day, I think it would've been a ginormous hit movie because it would've been the first time anything like that was done. But for whatever reason, the studio felt like, 'Ah, the audience won't buy that.'"

This isn't the first time an Alien film has been scrapped (especially one that sounded good on paper), including the pitched return of Weaver for Neil Blomkamp's canceled Alien 5 film. However, with the upcoming film Alien: Romulus from filmmaker Fede Álvarez, it seems like franchise fans still have plenty of opportunities to witness more Alien magic in the months to come.

Do you think Harlin's idea for Alien 3 would have been a worthwhile follow-up to Aliens? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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