Aliens James Cameron

Early development

The success of Alien (1979) led to immediate discussions of a sequel, but the production company Brandywine Productions struggled to convince 20th Century Fox to make it. Studio president Alan Ladd Jr. was supportive of the project but left Fox to found the Ladd Company, and his replacement, Norman Levy, was concerned about the cost of producing an Alien II.[23][24][25] Brandywine co-founder David Giler said Levy believed a sequel would be a "disaster".[25] Fox executives believed Alien's success was a fluke, and that it had not generated enough profit or audience interest to warrant a sequel.[25] Box-office returns for horror films were also declining.[26] Progress was further slowed when Giler and Brandywine co-founders Walter Hill and Gordon Carroll sued Fox for unpaid profits from Alien. Using Hollywood accounting methods, Fox had declared Alien a financial loss despite its earnings of over $100 million against a $9–$11 million budget. Brandywine's lawsuit was settled by early 1983, the result being that Fox would finance the development of Alien II, but was not required to distribute the film.[25][27]

Levy's eventual replacement, Joe Wizan, was receptive to a sequel, and although other executives remained noncommittal, Giler's development executive, Larry Wilson, began looking for a scriptwriter by mid-1983.[24][25] Wilson came across the script for the in-development science fiction film, The Terminator (1984), written by James Cameron. With Cameron's collaborative scriptwriting efforts alongside Sylvester Stallone on Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Wilson was convinced to show the script for The Terminator to Giler, Hill, and Carroll.[28][29] In November 1983, Cameron submitted a 42-page film treatment for Alien II—written in three days—based on Giler and Hill's suggestion of "Ripley and soldiers".[24][25][30] The studio had a mixed reaction, one executive calling it a constant stream of horror without character development.[24][25] Negotiations to sell the sequel rights to Rambo's developers Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna failed and the project stalled again.[25]

Revival

By July 1984, Lawrence Gordon had replaced Wizan. With few projects in development, Gordon looked at sequels to Fox's existing properties and came across the Alien II treatment; he said he was surprised that no one had pursued it.[25] Production of The Terminator was delayed for nine months because Arnold Schwarzenegger was contractually obligated to film Conan the Destroyer (1984). Cameron used the time to develop his treatment, expanding it to ninety pages.[24][29] He drew ideas from "Mother", one of his story concepts about an alien on a space station involving a power-loader suit.[31] Because of his low expectations for The Terminator, Cameron had spent much of his free time during its production developing and trying out ideas for Alien II.[28][29]

This script was better received by Fox executives and Gordon, but Cameron also wanted to direct the project.[24][29][32] Cameron was a relatively new director, his only directing credit being Piranha II: The Spawning (1982), a low-budget, independent horror film, and the studio was reluctant to grant his request. His credibility was elevated following the surprise financial and critical success of The Terminator in late 1984, and Gordon gave him the job.[25][29][32] Cameron's associates tried to persuade him to reject the offer, believing anything good about the film would be attributed to Alien director Ridley Scott and anything negative to Cameron.[33] Scott said he was never offered the chance to direct the sequel, possibly because he was difficult to work with on the original.[34] The title Aliens reportedly came from Cameron writing "Alien" on a whiteboard during a pitch meeting and adding a "$" suffix.[35][36] Cameron also wanted his collaborative partner and girlfriend, Gale Anne Hurd, to serve as the producer, but Fox did not take the request seriously, believing she could not stand up to Cameron, who believed she was the only person who would.[31][32] Hurd had several industry associates contact Fox executives to convince them she was a legitimate producer.[32]

Cameron turned in the finished script in February 1985, hours before a Hollywood writer's strike.[25] Cameron recalled the audience reactions while seeing Alien in the theater and believed it would be difficult to recreate the emotion and novelty of the original. He and Hurd agreed to combine the horror of Alien with the action of The Terminator. According to Hill, Cameron said if the first film could be compared to a haunted attraction, Aliens should be like a roller coaster.[29] Cameron believed in having a strong female heroine to distinguish his films from typical Hollywood action fare and wrote the script with a picture of Weaver on his desk.[32] He referred to The Terminator, and how he removed the normal protective forces from Sarah Connor so she had to fend for herself.[28] Cameron had also always wanted to make a film about space infantry.[29]

The final script was well received, but Fox executives (including chairman Barry Diller) were concerned about the budget. Fox estimated the cost as close to $35 million, but Hurd said it would be closer to $15.5 million. Diller offered $12 million, prompting Cameron and Hurd to quit. Gordon negotiated with Diller until he relented, and Cameron and Hurd returned.[25] In April 1985, conflict turned to the cast; Fox did not want Weaver to return because they expected her to demand a high salary.[25][32] Cameron and Hurd were insistent Weaver return as the solo star; Fox refused, saying they would damage the studio's negotiating power with Weaver's agent. Cameron and Hurd again left the project, marrying and going on a honeymoon. When they returned, the Aliens project was ready to move forward. Cameron credited Gordon with Aliens' being greenlit.[25]

Casting

Weaver rejected initial offers to return and despite being interested after reading Cameron's script, she had to be convinced Aliens was not being made exclusively for financial reasons.[24][32][33] Weaver received a $1 million (equivalent to $2.78 million in 2023) salary and a percentage of the box-office profits, the highest salary of her career at the time.[25] Negotiations were so lengthy that Cameron and Hurd told Schwarzenegger's agent they intended to write Ripley out of the movie (knowing Weaver's agent would be told); terms were reached shortly afterward.[24]

Cameron wanted an unknown actor to portray Newt. Agents scouted Henn while she was at school in Lakenheath, England, and though she lacked acting experience, Cameron said she had a "great face and expressive eyes".[37] Stephen Lang auditioned for the role of Hicks, but James Remar secured the role on the recommendation of Hill, his close friend. Remar left shortly into filming, ostensibly due to urgent family matters or creative differences with Cameron, but he later admitted he was fired after being arrested for drug possession.[4][38][39] Hurd hired Michael Biehn the following Friday.[4][39] Paxton credited his casting as Hudson to a chance encounter with Cameron at Los Angeles International Airport, during which he mentioned he would be interested in a role. Fox supported Paxton's casting because of positive feedback for his performance in Weird Science (1985).[40][41] Paxton was worried the character would annoy audiences until he realized he was comic relief for the tense scenes.[40] Henriksen was concerned about portraying Bishop after other recent successful portrayals of android characters, such as Ian Holm in Alien and Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner (1982). He played Bishop as an innocent child who pities the short-lived humans. He suggested wearing distinctive contact lenses to convey when Bishop was alerted to danger, but Cameron believed they would make the character appear more frightening than the aliens.[5] Biehn, Paxton, and Henriksen had worked with Cameron on The Terminator.[5][40]

Aliens was Reiser's first major theatrical role, following small parts in films like Beverly Hills Cop (1984).[4] The Colonial Marines cast features a mix of British and American actors who underwent three weeks of intensive training with the British Special Air Service (SAS).[c] Vietnam War veteran Al Matthews (Apone) helped to train the actors, teaching them how to handle firearms properly because their blanks were still hazardous.[40][42] Before he left, Remar accidentally shot a hole through the set of Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors on an adjacent stage.[4][40] The training was intended to help the marine cast develop camaraderie and treat the other actors (Weaver, Reiser, and Hope) as outsiders.[43][44] Biehn's late casting caused him to miss the training, and he said he regretted being unable to customize his armor like the other actors (since he inherited Remar's).[4][39] Cameron created a distinct backstory for each marine and instructed the actors to read Starship Troopers so they would understand the space marine archetype.[45][46][47]

Vasquez was Goldstein's first feature-film role. She credited her physique to spending hours at the gym while unemployed, gaining 10 pounds (4.5 kg) at Cameron's request.[5][48][49] Goldstein wore dark contact lenses and underwent an hour of makeup to cover her freckles and darken her white skin to portray a "Chicano" character; she studied Mexican-American gang interviews to develop her demeanor and accent.[49] Ricco Ross (Frost) was committed to Full Metal Jacket (1987), whose filming schedule overlapped for a week with Aliens'. Although Cameron offered to let Ross join the filming later, Ross was concerned that Stanley Kubrick's projects often overran, and opted for Aliens instead.[5] Rolston misled the filmmakers to get his part; he had finished filming Revolution (1985), and implied he was its most prominent actor after Al Pacino.[8] William Hope (Gorman) was cast as Hudson before Cameron and Hurd decided to take the character in a different direction.[8]

Cynthia Dale Scott (Dietrich) was an aspiring singer when she was cast.[4] Colette Hiller (Ferro) was upset she had to cut her hair short for the role because she was getting married shortly afterward, and made the filmmakers buy her a long, blonde wig.[8] Trevor Steedman (Wierzbowski) was a stuntman rather than an actor,[5] and Aliens was Daniel Kash's (Spunkmeyer) debut film role. He offered Cameron his coat if he got the part and also auditioned for Hudson.[50] The actors stayed at the Holiday Inn in Langley, Berkshire, during filming. Paxton described the actors' time outside work positively: "God, we had the best time ... We all hung very hard together. That's where I first met [Henriksen], who I fell in love with. [Matthews] ... was a really good spirit to have around, with a great voice. And all these hilarious British characters, like [Steedman], the stuntman, who used to grab my bicep and go, 'Blimey, more meat on a cat's cock!'"[40]

Filming

Principal photography began in September 1985, on a 75-day schedule, and an $18.5 million budget,[d] not including film prints and marketing.[25][28][51] Filming took place mainly at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire near London, because of its large sets and the relatively lower cost of filming in England.[e] Filming was tumultuous as Cameron, a Canadian, was unfamiliar with British film-industry traditions such as tea breaks, which interrupted production for up to an hour each weekday, and was frustrated at losing hours of filming every week.[24][32][40] In his book The Making of Aliens, J. W. Rinzler described Cameron as aggressive and certain of what he wanted, which irked the crew. The situation was exacerbated by Cameron's hands-on approach, often modifying setups such as lighting himself to fit his vision without involving the unionized crew.[32]

The crew was dismissive of Cameron for his relative inexperience, thinking he had not done enough to earn such a prominent position, and that Hurd had her job only because she was his partner.[24][51][54] Cinematographer Dick Bush insisted on lighting the alien hive brightly (counter to Cameron's request), and was eventually replaced with Adrian Biddle.[3] First assistant director Derek Cracknell also ignored Cameron's requests.[32][54] Gale described the situation: "⁠[Cameron] would ask him to set up a shot one way and [Cracknell] would say, 'Oh no no no, I know what you want,' ... Then he'd do it wrong and the whole set would have to be broken down."[54] The situation deteriorated until Cameron and Hurd fired Cracknell and the Pinewood crew walked out in the middle of the day.[54]

Cameron called Fox for advice and was determined to move the production out of England until Hurd convinced him otherwise. The situation was difficult because the number of films simultaneously in production meant the crew could not be easily replaced. Cameron and Hurd gathered the crew to discuss their grievances; Cameron explained the importance of the production, and that any member of the crew who could not support it should volunteer to be replaced. The crew agreed to support Cameron if he supported their scheduled working hours.[54] The relationship between filmmakers and crew remained cool; when filming concluded at Pinewood, Cameron told the crew: "This has been a long and difficult shoot, fraught by many problems ... but the one thing that kept me going, through it all, was the certain knowledge that one day I would drive out the gate of Pinewood and never come back, and that you sorry bastards would still be here".[54] He described most of the crew as "lazy, insolent, and arrogant".[54] Paxton called the crew's work impeccable, but their attitude more relaxed than the American crews to which he was accustomed.[33]

The alien nest was filmed in the decommissioned Acton Lane Power Station in London, and the set was left in place until the filming of the 1989 film Batman.[43][55] While filming the dropship descent from the Sulaco, shaking collapsed the set roof onto the cast and crew. Most of the cast were unharmed, but a large piece of debris cut Cameron's head.[31][56] Because of the tight budget, Hurd made Cameron pay for an early scene of a laser cutting Ripley free from her hypersleep chamber.[31][57] According to Henriksen, Paxton was unaware he would be involved in the knife-trick scene until it was filmed; Henriksen nicked Paxton's finger during the reshoot.[31] Some of the early establishing scenes were filmed near the end of principal photography to capture the bond that had developed between cast and characters.[44]

Some improvisation was encouraged.[58] Weaver discussed tweaks to her character with Cameron on set, believing she understood how Ripley would act.[33] Her line "Get away from her, you bitch!" had to be filmed in one take due to the tight schedule remaining, and the actress thought she had messed it up.[59] Paxton believed he was not good at improvisation and discussed ideas with Cameron before filming. Hudson's signature line "Game over, man; game over!" originated from Paxton developing a backstory for the character, in which he was trained on simulators.[60] Henn found it hard to act afraid of the aliens (since she was fond of the actors in the suits) and imagined a dog was chasing her.[37] Other cast members spent time with Henn between scenes, including Weaver and Paxton (who would color or craft things with her).[37][48] Biehn said he and Paxton spent much of their free time together.[4] Despite the difficulties, Fox was satisfied with the daily footage, and principal photography concluded in January 1986, on time and on budget.[25][61]

Post-production

Post-production began in late April 1986.[25] Several scenes were removed from Aliens' theatrical release, including Ripley learning about her daughter's death and a cocooned Burke begging her for death.[13] Fox and Hurd suggested removing a long opening scene detailing the lives of the colonists, Newt's family discovering the derelict alien ship, and her father being attacked by a facehugger, because it ruined the pacing and sense of mystery.[31][62] Two scenes with James Remar as Hicks (shown from the back) were used in the film.[4]

Ray Lovejoy was responsible for editing the final two hours, 17 minutes cut of Aliens.[63] Fox wanted the film to be under two hours so it could be shown more times per day in theaters, increasing its revenue potential. Fox production president Scott Rudin flew to England to ask Cameron and Hurd if they could cut another 12 minutes, but Cameron was concerned further cuts would make it nonsensical, and Rudin relented.[25][63]

Music

James Horner met Cameron early in their careers, when they worked for director Roger Corman. Aliens was Horner and Cameron's first collaboration; Horner called it a "nightmare".[66][67] He arrived in London to compose, expecting a six-week schedule. There was nothing for him to score, as Cameron was still filming and editing, and Horner had only three weeks to compose.[24][67][65] The producers were unwilling to give him any more time, and he was booked to begin scoring The Name of the Rose (1986) shortly afterwards.[65]

Horner recorded the score at Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra.[67][68] His schedule was so tight that the music for the climactic battle between Ripley and the queen was written overnight. Cameron first heard the score while it was being recorded by the orchestra and did not like it, but it was too late to make changes. Brad Fiedel's synth-inspired tracks for The Terminator had allowed changes to be made quickly based on feedback, but Cameron had no experience managing orchestral music.[65] Cameron cut the score up, using pieces where he believed they fit best, and inserted pieces of Jerry Goldsmith's Alien score and hired unknown composers to fill gaps.[65][68] The director said in a later interview he thought the music was good, but did not fit the scenes he had filmed.[65] Horner's "alien sting" sound was initially used only once, during the scene with the cocooned woman, as Cameron disliked it, but he eventually used it throughout the film.[31] Unused portions of Horner's Aliens score were repurposed for Die Hard (1988).[69][70]