Description
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film written and directed by James Cameron. It is the sequel to the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien, and the second film in the Alien franchise. Set in the far future, the film stars Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of an alien attack on her ship. When communications are lost with a human colony on the moon on which her crew first encountered the alien creatures, Ripley agrees to return to the site with a troop of Colonial Marines to investigate. Aliens features Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, and Carrie Henn in supporting roles.
Despite the success of Alien, its sequel took years to develop; it was delayed by lawsuits, a lack of enthusiasm from 20th Century Fox, and repeated changes in management. Based on his scripts for The Terminator (1984) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Cameron was hired to write a story for Aliens in 1983. The project stalled again until new Fox executive Lawrence Gordon pursued a sequel. Although relatively inexperienced, Cameron was given the director role based on his success directing The Terminator. On an approximately $18.5 million budget, Aliens began principal photography in September 1985. Like its development, filming was tumultuous and rife with conflicts between Cameron and the British crew at Pinewood Studios. James Horner composed the film’s score. The difficult shoot also affected Horner, who was given little time to record the music.
Aliens was released on July 18, 1986, to critical acclaim. It was well-received for its action, but some reviewers were critical of the intensity of some scenes. Weaver’s performance received consistent praise; other members of the cast were positively received, including Bill Paxton and Jenette Goldstein, who played Colonial Marines. The film received a number of awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Weaver at a time when the science-fiction genre was generally overlooked. Aliens earned $131.1–183.3 million during its theatrical run, one of the highest-grossing films of 1986 worldwide.
Aliens is now considered to be among the greatest films of the 1980s, and both one of the best science fiction and action films and one of the best sequels ever made. It has been called equal to (or better than) Alien. Aliens is credited with expanding the franchise’s scope with additions to the series’ lore and factions such as the Colonial Marines. With its effect on popular culture and fan following, Aliens has inspired a variety of merchandise which includes video games, comic books, and toys. The film was followed by two sequels – Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997), neither of which were as successful, and a fourth sequel was in development in 2020. The series also has prequels to Alien, Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017).
A fifth sequel of the main Alien films was in development in 2020, based on a story by Giler and Hill; Weaver was expected to return as Ripley.
Exclusive: Ridley Scott Directing New Alien Series, Here Are The Details
The Alien franchise is going through a bit of a revival. It had already been announced that a new series was being worked on for FX. This new series, however, has fallen under heavy criticism. The biggest criticism is that the show is going to be set on Earth, which is a far cry from the Ridley Scott format that had been established in the 1970s. This might have been the deciding factor for the long-time director and producer to get involved, as we can happily report through our trusted and proven sources that Ridley Scott is now working on his own Alien series for Hulu, which will be set in space.
There hasn’t been a movie or series set in the Alien universe since Ridley Scott directed Alien: Covenant in 2017. Now, the man is returning to his most beloved franchise. We can also report that Scott is going to be heavily involved not just on the producing level, but he will be writing and directing many of the episodes for the new Hulu series. It is quite interesting that there will now be two different takes on the same franchise seemingly happening around the same time. It might also be worth noting that Hulu is also going to be showcasing the Predator revival film, Prey, which will be premiering on the streaming platform in August. It would be wild to see if Scott is interested in bridging the two franchises.
It does seem a bit cruel that FX is now going to be in direct competition with Hulu in terms of releasing their shows. Ridley Scott directing his own Alien series is going to garner much more attention than the Noah Hawley series. No offense to the man, as Hawley created the Fargo series, which is also fantastic. However, now he has the stiffest competition going against the creator of the franchise. Also, Hawley was already taking a big risk by focusing on Earth instead of in space. Hawley’s series is meant to serve as a prequel, set some 30 years before the events of Ripley and her crew in the first Alien film. There has been no mention of where Scott’s series timeline will be placed.
Quite honestly, the Alien franchise has been one of the best and most entertaining, so we are completely fine with having two different takes. However, Ridley Scott directing his own Alien series has a bit of an unfair advantage. We hope that both are successful in their own rights and that Hawley’s offers a fresh new take that can be appreciated. Who knows, maybe Hawley will be more open to a crossover with the new Predator franchise too. We know we keep bringing it up, but can you imagine if either of these directors were up to blending the two? That would be amazing. We know those movies were cheesy, but they were still wildly entertaining.
We don’t know what to expect from Ridley Scott reviving Alien in his own series, but we can expect a ton of gory kills on the small screen. Xenomorphs are arguably one of the best-designed and creepiest creatures in cinema history, and we can’t wait to see if new versions will appear in his and Hawley’s new shows. Let the battle of the Alien shows begin.
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