Alien 3was such a painful experience for David Fincher that he seriously considered walking away from Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of Ridley Scott and James Cameron and helming the third entry in theAlienmovie franchisewas going to be a daunting task for any filmmaker. That’s why the sequel spent many years in development hell, where different actors and directors came and went. Directors like Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) and Vincent Ward gave it their best shot, whilemany ideas were pitched and rejected forAlien 3.
This includes Ward’s wild pitch set on a wooden planet run by technology-rejecting monks. Eventually, a young up-and-comer named David Fincher was hired based on his commercial and music video work, which included Madonna’s “Vogue.” However,Alien 3is a production where just about everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong. The script was being stapled together as it shot, the producers and Fincher clashed constantly and the final movie met with mixed reviews. In the years since, Fincher himself has barely spoken about the experience.
David Fincher Dislikes Alien 3 More Than Anyone
Don’t expect an Alien 3 director’s cut anytime soon
During a conversation at the BFI in 2009 (viaThe Guardian), Fincher was asked about a quote where he claimed to hateAlien 3. The famously blunt filmmaker answered this question with customary wit:
I had to work on it for two years, got fired off it three times and I had to fight for every single thing.No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me.
He also labeled the production as a “baptism by fire,” and believes he was too naive walking into such a major production. A making of documentary dubbedWreckage and Rage: Making Alien 3chronicled filming on the sequel, wherethe first time director had to work with conflicting notes from the studio and producers while working with a screenplay that was being constantly rewrittento reach a release date.
Most of the cast and crew, like Charles Dance to editor Terry Rawlings, sing the praises of young Fincher (who declined to participate in the doc), butWreckage and Ragepaints a picture of a young filmmaker working under almost impossible conditions. It’s kind of shockingAlien 3is as good as it is, considering how dysfunctional the set was.Alien 3is even better with its extended cut, though Fincher himself had nothing to do with it, telling the BFI he didn’t watch it.
Fincher Says The Filmmaking Process For Alien 3 Was Messy
Alien 3 shot with sets intended for an abandoned version of the script
A big issue with gettingAlien 3ready was finding the right concept. Producers Walter Hill and David Giler wanted a premise that felt fresh and didn’t want a Xerox of what had come before. They felt the wooden planet idea gave them that, but as production got underway and sets were built, they got cold feet about how odd it was. They fired Ward and then hired Fincher to direct a version ofAlien 3that combined Ward’s basic concept with another rejected screenplay that was set on a prison planet.
Fox was very eager to get a newAliengoing too, and refused to push the release date. So, Fincher went to work without a proper story, working with sets built for an abandoned version of the script that had to be retrofitted into his film and with producers who didn’t trust him. For a filmmaker who would become famed for his perfectionism and attention to detail, this would prove torturous.The sequel was nothing like what Fincher had set out to make, and when the bad reviews came, he was the one who got the brunt of the blame.
Ridley Scott and Clive Barker were also approached about directingAlien 3.
Time and budget were recurring issues, andcost overruns onAlien 3drove the budget up to an estimated $60 million.Alien 3changed its endingto avoid comparisons with Cameron’sTerminator 2: Judgment Daytoo, whichalsoended with the heroes throwing themselves into molten steel. There’s a lot to admire about the horror sequel, though, from its performances to its sets and visuals, but the story is a muddled mess.
If Fincher were allowed to start from scratch and make theAlienfilm he wanted, it would probably be a masterpiece. Instead,Fincher was airdropped into a no-win situation to getAlien 3into theaters by its release date, quality be damned. It’s still a very good movie, but Fincher is still so wounded by the experience that getting him to comment at all is a challenge.
David Fincher Nearly Left Filmmaking
Fincher went back to music videos for a time
In an interview withSight & Soundaround the timeSe7enhit the big screen, Fincher was especially blunt about how he felt in the aftermath ofAlien 3. In short, making another film was the furthest thing on his mind at that time: “I didn’t read a script for a year and a half after that,I thought I’d rather die of colon cancer than do another movie.” He then went back to music videos, directing “Bad Girl” for Madonna and working with other major acts.
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Alien: Romulus
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Given the acclaim he had in the music video/commercial realm, working in that realm very much could have been the rest of his career. After a year or so,Fincher began to warm to the idea of directing again and felt that because directors who had made much worse movies thanAlien 3still had careers, he could take another shot. Thankfully, the screenplay forSe7ensoon fell into his lap, and the rest is history.
Alien 3 Didn’t Derail David Fincher’s Career
From Se7en to The Killer, Fincher is one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation
Even among critics who likedAlien 3, it’s unlikely anybody pictured David Fincher as the next great auteur. His masterful work onSe7enchanged that, with the shocking 1995 thriller following two detectives chasing a killer who bases their crimes on the seven deadly sins.Despite being unremittingly bleak,Se7enwas an enormous box office hitand is now considered a classic. Fincher would soon develop a reputation as a director who demanded dozens of takes and no compromises to his vision, which has worked in his favor.
Whatever stigma was attached to Fincher followingAlien 3is long gone, but it would be nice to see him make peace with his debut.
Fincher has helmed an almost embarrassing number of modern masterpieces since his debut, fromFight ClubtoZodiacandThe Social Network. Even his “lesser” efforts likePanic Roomor 2023’sThe Killerare still considered greats. Whatever stigma was attached to Fincher followingAlien 3is long gone, but it would be nice to see him make peace with his debut. It’s unlikely he would ever re-cut the sequel to his liking, but it is a better film than even he gives it credit for.
Fincher is set to reunite with Brad Pitt forThe Continuing Adventures of Cliff Boothnext, a spinoff of Quentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood. It’s doubtful Fincher will take another trip to theAlienfranchise, though it would be nice to see him dabble in the horror genre again.
Source:BFI/The Guardian
Alien
The Alien franchise, which began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, is a Sci-Fi series comprised of several horror films, games, and comic books centered on humanity’s encounters with a hostile extraterrestrial species known as Xenomorphs. Characterized by their lethal prowess and capability to reproduce at an alarming rate, these creatures pose a profound threat to human existence. The primary series protagonist, Ellen Ripley, acts as the voice of reason as she seeks to keep the creatures out of the hands of greed-driven corporate scientists.
Alien 3
Cast
Alien³ follows Ellen Ripley as she crash lands on Fiorina 161, a bleak prison planet housing a correctional facility. Stripped of weapons and facing a new alien threat, the inmates must unite with Ripley to survive while awaiting external assistance. Released in 1992, this film continues the iconic sci-fi horror saga.
