In the realm of cinema and entertainment in general, there are few names more synonymous with success thanSteven Spielberg. The master storyteller has delighted, terrified, and moved audiences throughouthis illustrious career. From his seminal blockbuster,Jawsto his moving adaptation ofThe Color Purple, Spielberg’s dynamic mode of storytelling is just as influential today as it was when he started making movies. But, while the master filmmaker has created some of cinema’s best stories, not every idea is gold, as was the case withJames Cameron’sAliens. The powerhouse filmmakers have long admired each other’s talent. WhenCameron took the reins to the sequel fromRidley Scottin the follow-up,Spielberg had a passionate story suggestion, one that would have not only changed the course of the sequel, but the belovedAlien franchisealtogether.
Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.
Steven Spielberg’s Suggestion for ‘Aliens’ Was Certainly… Different
By the timeAliensentered production, Spielberg was already the establishedking of Hollywood directors. But, as explained inNetflix’sThe Movies That Made Us, Cameron’s career was still in its infancy. Thanks to Cameron’s intriguing outline forAliensand his success onThe Terminator, he became 20th Century Fox’s favorite to direct the sequel. According to aDirector’s Guild of America sit downwith Spielberg, Cameron, andJ.J. Abrams,Cameron had long been an admirer of Spielberg’s work. Per Cameron, the two met while he was working on the screenplay forAliens.
Spielberg had approached Cameron about working on hisanthology series,Amazing Stories. As the two talked about the possibility, Spielberg had an idea that, while interesting, was not exactly in line with Cameron’s dark script. During the conversation, Cameron reminded Spielberg: “We were talking aboutAmazing Stories… and you said, ‘Oh, I know what to do, I know what to do…because the first Alien was bad, have this one — the alien — be misunderstood, and the humans are trying to kill it, and running around the ship.”
That ‘Alien: Romulus’ Twist Ending Just Blew the Entire Franchise Wide Open
This beast doesn’t just put you off your popcorn.
“Thank goodness you didn’t do that,” Spielberg responded. Cameron went on to explain that Spielberg’s enthusiasm was incredible to watch, so much so that Cameron decided not to doAmazing Stories. As Cameron said: “You know, I love that, you know, just sort of creative process. Watching it in action. And that’s why I knew I wasn’t doingAmazing Stories, because there’s no way I wanted to be that close to that bright of a light at that point. I was still trying to get my candle lit, you know.” While the partnership never happened, the two directors continued to admire each other. And, though Cameron was impressed by Spielberg’s creative process, the inclusion of such a storyline would have not only affectedAliens, but the series as a whole.
Steven Spielberg’s Suggestion Would Have Hurt the ‘Alien’ Franchise
Asequel can make or break a franchise.Aliensfought an uphill battle having to follow-up the groundbreaking original picture, but to date, is consideredone of the finest sequels of all time. The film’s pivot toward action interwoven with a greater sense of fear largely set the tone for the franchise’s legacy. The film’s main antagonist, the Xenomorph Queen, is one of the most astounding science fiction characters ever created, not to mentionone of the most ruthless. She serves as a great twist and is completely merciless in her mission to destroy Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Newt (Carrie Henn).She also served as a dynamic twist on what came before.
While the series has experienced someextraordinary highs and unfortunate lows, the series has continued to try new things, which has led toits larger success. The very reason xenomorphs continue to scare audiences more than four decades after the original film’s release, is their elevated evil.Redeemable villainscertainly have their place in film, but a misunderstood xenomorph would have put theAlienfranchise’s main theme — pure horror — on shaky ground. When one considersthe story placement ofAlien: Romulus, it’s hard to imagine that the picture would be as effective as it has been or that it would even exist at all in a universe with more complex xenomorphs. Though he may have come up with the idea, hindsight will certainly make audiences agree with Spielberg’s more recent opinion that it was a good thing Cameron avoided the suggestion.
There’s no question that Steven Spielberg is among the finest directors of all time. But his suggestion to a young James Cameron, when it came to creatingAliens,was one that missed the mark. Spielberg’s passionate idea to make the sequel’s Xenomorph misunderstood would have utterly destroyed the action and horror of not justAliens, but the elevated horror of the franchise overall.
Aliensis currently available to stream on Max in the U.S.
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