The “Alien” franchise has had a headache-inducing history. Though dozens of scripts were developed over the years, many were completely tossed out, and several films featured last-minute scenes being rewritten on the set during filming. While the first two installments from directors Ridley Scott and James Cameron were massively praised commercial and critical successes, the second half of the Ellen Ripley odyssey gets dicey pretty fast.
READ MORE: ‘Alien’ Franchise Vet Walter Hill Says Disney Isn’t Interested In His ‘Alien 5’ Script
“Alien Resurrection,” the fourth and final film starring Sigourney Weaver, was an interesting case because Ripley’s character had been killed in the previous installment, “Alien 3,” by a then-young David Fincher, which was considered a financial and narrative stumble for the franchise. However, the studio pressed on and went through various project incarnations, which initially had Newt as the clone (thanks to the sci-fi nature of the films), only to be replaced with a clone of Ripley eventually. The person behind those multiple scripts and revisions was a young Joss Whedon after the success of “Toy Story” in the 1990s. Whedon hasn’t been shy about his displeasure with the way French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet (“City of Lost Children”) and the producing team, including franchise screenwriters Walter Hill and the late David Giler, treated his script in the final film. They would eventually make their own adjustments without him.
Meanwhile, in some recent anniversary stories about ‘Resurrection,’ Jeunet is now sharing with The Independent his own impression of Whedon and his writing style and essentially suggesting if Whedon had directed the fourth ‘Alien’ film, it would have been a hit but still “something for morons.” He also took a swipe at the Marvel films that Whedon helped popularize.
“I know Joss Whedon said some bad things about me. I don’t care”, Jeunet said. “I know if Joss Whedon had made the film himself, it probably would have been a big success. He’s very good at making films for American geeks – something for morons. Because he’s very good at making Marvel films. I hate [these] kinds of movie[s]. It’s so silly, so stupid.”
Of course, Whedon is now persona no grata after a string of on, and off-set allegations that painted the self-proclaimed “feminist” as anything but. It’s certainly interesting to hear from creatives that have previously worked with him sharing their brutally honest opinion now that they really don’t have to fear retaliation.
Looking ahead, while it’s unlikely at this point that a true “Alien 5” is going to happen, the franchise marches on with the help of Scott’s production company Scott Free as he’s producing both Noah Hawley’s Earthbound prequel streaming series and new mystery feature film at Hulu hailing from director Fede Álvarez (“Evil Dead”). Scott also continues to tease plans for the third film as a follow-up to the disappointing “Alien: Covenant,” which earned $150 million plus less than “Prometheus,” but as time marches on, that seems less and less likely.