When you guys talk about Alien3, are you referring to the theatrical version, the workprint, or the recreation of the director's cut (not recreated by Fincher, btw) that was in the quadrilogy box set?
For me, it's the box set version that I find myself going back to...
Yeah, that version at least plugs some of the gaping continuity holes (like the unexplained vanishing of Golic, the prisoner who had been accused of killing two other prisoners and had been chained to a bed in a straitjacket before it had been confirmed that there was an alien on the planet. The last you see him he is witness to Clemens (Charles Dance) death at the hands of the alien. The alien disappears through the ventilation shaft with Clemens' body and Ripley crawls out of the room in terror, leaving Golic tied to the bed...never to be seen again in the original cut.). I managed to pick up a copy of Quadrilogy cheap (there was a single copy that had been mistagged at $50 cheaper than the others and I managed to get it for the price of two special edition discs) and I don't regret it at all. The making of Alien3 is a fascinating example of how not to make a film.
I have a chart in an old Alien magazine here...let me dig it out...
Walter Hill, David Giler and Gordon Carroll hire William Gibson to write a screenplay for their treatment of an alien in a Soviet space station.
(this screeplay is rejected)
Eric Red (The Hitcher/Near Dark) hired along with director Renny Hamlin (Die Hard 2)'s a colony of redneck farmers script (also sans Ripley)
(this is rejected)
David Twohy writes two treaments for a
prison planet story, one without Ripley.
Vincent Ward (The Navigator) hired as director. Wants to set film on wooden planetoid built by
space monks. Fox hires John Fasano to write Ward's script, telling Twohy, who is busy rewriting his script, that Ward/Fasano's script is going to be Alien 4.
Greg Pruss hired to rewrite Fasano script. Pruss falls out with Ward and Fasano takes control of his script again.
Fasano/Ward partnership collapses because "Ward started to flip out" and Ward departs as director, even as sets are being built in London.
Enter 27 year old David Fincher and Larry Ferguson (Hunt for Red October) to rewrite Fasano's
space monk script. Sigourney Weaver impressed with Fincher ("I was willing to follow him anywhere." but does not have the same feelings for Ferguson, who Weaver claims makes Ripley sound like "a very pissed off gym instructor"). Feguson exits production.
($10,000,000 has been spent at this point in production)
With Fincher in tow, Walter Hill, David Giler decide to write as well as produce. Their "emergency rewrite" reintroduces Twohy's prison planet elements but retains Fasano/Ward's religious elements.
($20,000,000)
Rex Pickett hired to rewrite second half of Hill/Giler script. Pickett attacks Hill and Giler in private memo supporting Fincher's input over the writer-producers. Pickett fired. 20th Century Fox and Weaver happy with Hill/Giler script, but Fincher unhappy.
Hill, Giler and Fincher fight for two months over script. Fincher has issues with budgetary limitations. Fincher is told by Paramount's president, "David, nobody is going to give you $40,000,000 for a first picture." to which he responds, "I know that. What would I do with a 40-minute movie?")
($35,000,000)
Fincher reportedly a "perfectionist", and Fox sends a "troubleshooter" to oversee filming in London. After seeing a rough cut Fox pulls the plug and orders Fincher and crew home.
($40,000,000)
Hill and Giler return to supervise production.
($55,000,000)
Extensive list of reshoots drawn up. Budgetary limitations and Weaver's refusal to shave head a second time prevent dramatic alteration of films ending, which is - coincidentally - similar to that of Terminator 2 (i.e. foundry used to destroy villain)
Fincher, Hill and Giler still on board at end, approximately $65,000,000 later.
(years later Arnold Schwarzenegger paid $30,000,000 for his limited appearances in Terminator 3)
[attached: me writing this]
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