Hello again, Alien fans! I'm back for
my yearly August 12th update!
So much has happened in the last year
concerning the Alien franchise. Ridley Scott is still working on
“Prometheus 2”, and yes... (drum roll please)... Neill Blomkamp
(director of “District 9”, “Elysium”, and “Chappie”) is
finally giving us “Alien 5”!... WITH Sigourney Weaver... AND.....
(wait for it)....... Michael freakin' Biehn (!!!) supposedly
returning to play Corporal Hicks!
… I'm stoked.
Great director. Sigourney back for
Ripley. Michael Biehn kicking ass as Hicks... This is exactly what
we've all been waiting for.
And then we have “Prometheus 2” to
look forward to as well!... Great time to be an Alien fan.
After hearing the news about “Alien
5” really happening, it made me revisit the first draft of my own
Alien sequel. With little point in keeping it under wraps now that
the actual film is finally being made, I've decided to post my fan
script here on this site...
“Alien Resurrection” is a difficult
film to follow up, especially with almost 20 years having passed since it was released... How can you
take such a substantial chunk of history in these character's lives
and reduce it down into a digestible kernel of information so the
film can carry on without wasting too much time on exposition? How do
you fill that gap?... It's a challenge.
That's why I gave up on this version of
my story early on and moved on to write “Alien Incarnation”
(which can be found in my other 2 posts)... It was an easier story to
tackle. Fresh start. New characters. Less baggage.
But last year, I finally DID finish my
original script... It's not perfect, by any means, but I do think it
has some really good ideas laced throughout that could be expanded
upon and turned into a great film.
The basic premise for the first segment
of my script (the part I wrote before I scrapped it) was 'Ripley in
the swamps'... Weird choice, I know, but greatly unexpected. I had
just seen “Winter's Bone” (starring Jennifer Lawrence) and was really
inspired by the look and feel of that movie (even though it has
nothing to do with sci-fi). I wanted 'trailer park Ripley'. 'Duck
Dynasty Ripley'. Alone, in the swamps, living out the rest of her
days bagging and eating highly evolved, post-apocalyptic crocodiles.
The only problem was, I read an article
where Sigourney Weaver said she didn't want to do an Alien 5 if it
took place on Earth- that it should only be set in space...
So, I made the swamp part brief and
moved the rest of my story to a prison planet- similar to Fury-161 in
“Alien 3”. The Weyland-Yutani corporation- although substantially
diminished- has survived along with its chairman, Charles Weyland
(Lance Henriksen). They still want to mass produce aliens. They still
want Ripley...
In “Alien Resurrection”, Ripley's
clone was known as 'Ripley 8'... We're led to believe that the other
clones were what we saw in that bizarre room on the USM Auriga... But
what if there was ANOTHER clone of Ripley that nobody knew about?...
A younger, less jaded version that was more reminiscent of the Ripley we saw
in the first Alien film?...
'Ripley 2' could be a great way for
Sigourney to pass the role onto a younger actress- continuing the
legacy of Ripley for future films. It could be similar to how Leonard
Nimoy handed the role of Spock over to Zachary Quinto in the recent 'Star Trek' films.
Of course, some characters from “Alien
Resurrection” are back. Johner (Ron Perlman) is a big part of this
script. It's just too much fun to write for him. Also, Vriess
(Dominique Pinon)- the guy in the wheelchair- makes a brief cameo. However, although Winona Ryder is one of my favorite actresses, I just
couldn't find a way to fit in the character of Call... (or did I?)
I personally enjoyed “Alien
Resurrection”. I remember going to see it in the theater when I was
10 years old and being terrified of the Newborn alien... That thing
STILL gives me nightmares.
Like “Resurrection”, this script is more of a summer blockbuster, action type movie. It's less scary
and intellectual than my other screenplay- which was heavily
influenced by “Prometheus” and the original “Alien”...
Although, in some ways, this script is like all of the Alien films mixed
together into one. There are soldiers and prisoners... clones and
robots... Queens and chestbursters...
There are plenty of twists and
surprises in this script. It IS a tad on the long side, but- believe it or not- I did have to make some major edits while proofreading it recently (all benefitting the final draft)... If you're looking for something to read
while you wait for "Prometheus 2" and the REAL "Alien 5", then please give my screenplay a try.
I hope you enjoy it.
So, to mark the 3rd
anniversary of this blog, I proudly present to you, “ALIENS:
AFTERBIRTH”!
"ALIENS: AFTERBIRTH" (pdf. file)
