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Sigourney Weaver Reflects on What Went Wrong with David Fincher's Alien 3, Cites 'Lack of Studio Support'
Sigourney Weaver, who reprised her role as Ripley, recently reflected on the challenges faced during the production of Alien 3. Weaver expressed her disappointment with the studio's lack of support.
The Alien franchise has been synonymous with action, suspense, and terror in the realm of science fiction films for well over four decades. Just this year, Alien: Romulus was released, but one of its more storied films, Alien 3, is incredibly divided to this day.
Alien 3, the feature debut of director David Fincher and headlining the iconic Ellen Ripley through Sigourney Weaver, is almost as infamous for its problematic production as it is remembered for its part in franchise history.
Sigourney Weaver, who was also the co-producer of the film, shared some of the problems that were faced in shooting Alien 3. She confesses to Deadline, "David [Fincher] had to get on the phone and fight every day for us to shoot what he wanted to the next day." It was just so plain that studio support was not there; this obviously made the job of filmmaking even more burdensome.
Weaver explained that the original Vincent Ward script had a completely different plot, and focused on monks in a monastery with Ripley unconscious for much of the movie. Eventually, this script was trashed outright, and subsequently, a very rushed and chaotic production ensued. This production, she said, was a blatant indication of Hollywood's shifting priorities away from the making of great films and toward lowering financial risks. "I keenly felt the lack of studio support," she said. Even so, she acknowledged Fincher's disapproval of the project and praised his work, saying, "I think we made a good film."
The original Alien film was released in 1979, introducing to the world Weaver's now-iconic character, Ellen Ripley, a seminal figure in science fiction. With Alien, directed by Ridley Scott from a script by Dan O'Bannon, an immediate standard was set for the genre, one which would be followed by the equally lauded sequel Aliens, directed by James Cameron in 1986.
By the time Alien 3 arrived, however, it had, in many ways, become one of the most divisive entries into the franchise. Added to that was the distaste for the final product from Fincher himself, which further nurtured that reputation. Though an impassioned cast and hardworking crew gave their best to the film, today it is commonly regarded as the series' low point.
Besides the botched production that was Alien 3, recent years have seen a revitalization take hold for the franchise. Alien: Romulus, from director Fede Álvarez, impressed many with its practical effects and really resonated with critics and audiences alike. The film boasts an entirely new cast, including Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Reaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. It has been received as a return to form for the series.
Not to be outdone, the Alien: Earth series coming down the pipeline promises another dimension altogether as it works its way through post-production. A creation of Noah Hawley, one of the minds behind the critically acclaimed Fargo, this prequel series to the 1979 original promises to be something entirely different. Promising a look at the xenomorph menace on Earth, Alien: Earth is set to reinvigorate the Aliens franchise into bold and unexpected areas.
Alien 3, at the time of its release and through continuous development in the Alien franchise history, is a very critical, to say, contentious chapter in its history. Flawed but valuable, wounded but defiantly upright, the movie maintains an important slot in Ellen Ripley's and, by extension, the Alien legacy. Its highs and poor lows still endure, surrounded by thrills in a vision of a universe where survival for everybody is never a dead rite.
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