Original Alien star and Hollywood icon Sigourney Weaver explains what went wrong with Alien 3.

Speaking to Deadline, Weaver was asked about the challenges faced during the filming of Alien 3 as a co-producer on the franchise. “Well, I could feel that David [Fincher] had to get on the phone and fight every day for us to shoot what he wanted to the next day,” Weaver recalled. “And I’m sorry that he didn’t get a chance to make the script his own before we started. That makes filmmaking very difficult.”

“I recall that Vincent Ward’s original script had been about monks in a monastery and Ripley was in a coma for half of it. So, I keenly felt the lack of studio support,” Weaver continued. “That was a transition moment when studios stopped being about ‘let’s make great films’ and started being about ‘let’s not lose money.’ They had the great idea to put David Fincher aboard for his first film, but then not to support the guy was very idiotic. It helped shooting in England so we could get on with things to an extent. I heard recently that David has disowned the project and I’m sorry about that because I loved working with him, and I think we made a good film. I’m glad he got a chance to do his version. It was a great ensemble.”

They had the great idea to put David Fincher aboard for his first film, but then not to support the guy was very idiotic.

Weaver made her debut as the franchise’s foremost hero, Ellen Ripley, all the way back in 1979’s Alien from writer Dan O’Bannon and director Ridley Scott. Weaver reprised her role for 1986’s followup Aliens, the much maligned 1992 threequel Alien 3, and 1997’s Alien Resurrection. While the franchise as a whole has had plenty of bumps along the way, Alien 3 is widely considered one of the lowest points in the feature film series, with director David Fincher being openly outspoken in his outright disowning of the project.

The Alien franchise is currently experiencing a modern heyday with the recent release of Fede Álvarez’ Alien: Romulus starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Reaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. Upon its release, Alien: Romulus was met with largely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with many hailing the film’s practical effects. Álvarez himself opened up about the film’s use of puppets and other practical effects, as well as how that decision was informed by his use of the same tools on 2013’s Evil Dead. “We kind of reset the clocks back to start doing things practical at that time and it really translated in the movie. I think people that love that kind of movie really responded to it and it felt so scary, really.”

The Alien Franchise Heads to the Small Screen

The franchise is also awaiting the completion of post-production on Fargo creator Noah Hawley’s own entry, the upcoming Alien: Earth series. Hawley previously discussed the state of the project, noting that “We just wrapped. I’m in post, editing away. Obviously, there’s a large visual effects component that takes time. But I couldn’t be happier with the show that we shot.” Hawley went on to promise that “If people wanted a television series based on the world of Alien, I think I’m going to give them something special.”