Monks in Space!

February 4, 2009 11:30 PM

Concept art for the Alien 3 that never was - Before the Walter Hill version was shot, entirely in brown, by David Fincher there were many iterations of the Alien 3 script. One of the more exotic ones was the Vincent Ward & John Fasano "monks in space" script, illustrated here. [via io9]
posted by Artw (46 comments total)

yay I like when we talk about aliens
posted by flaterik at 11:38 PM on February 4, 2009

So do I, so do I...
posted by Artw at 11:39 PM on February 4, 2009

In space no one can hear your furtive masturbation.
posted by felix betachat at 11:53 PM on February 4, 2009 [5 favorites]

Check out William Gibson's Alien III script.

Spoiler: It's fucking awful.
posted by turgid dahlia at 11:55 PM on February 4, 2009

Spoiler: It's fucking awful.

But it's GIBBO!

sadly it appears dialogue is not his strong point
posted by Artw at 11:57 PM on February 4, 2009

I have said it before but Aliens is the best documentary of all time.
posted by wolfewarrior at 12:10 AM on February 5, 2009

I like talking about Aliens too.
That being said, this is beautiful work. Thanks for finding it. It's tough to find unseen Aliens stuff anymore.
posted by Brainy at 12:21 AM on February 5, 2009

Well aren't we all glad they stopped making Alien sequels after Cameron's outing.
posted by PenDevil at 12:22 AM on February 5, 2009 [2 favorites]

Rooted in the center of Bishop's synthetic entrails, the egg instantly ejaculates a Face-hugger, which strikes the leader's faceplate in a spray.

I dunno. Sounds to me like Gibson really did understand what Alien was about.
posted by rokusan at 12:25 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

Theres a time and a place for bio-palgues causing exploding heads, and that's The Thing.
posted by Artw at 12:38 AM on February 5, 2009

Good stuff here.
Damn, that Cashiers du Cinemart article is well researched but badly written. Mike White has a hate-on for Alien³, kinda like the guy who hates the damed homos who keep sucking his dick.
posted by lekvar at 12:46 AM on February 5, 2009

Upon reading my previous post, I realize that the language used could be considered inflammatory. I promise, that was not my intention; rather, I was ineptly trying to reference this article from The Onion and did so poorly.
posted by lekvar at 1:10 AM on February 5, 2009 [3 favorites]

Check out William Gibson's Alien III script.

Spoiler: It's fucking awful.

It can't be worse than the AVP movies. Can it?
posted by 5imian at 1:39 AM on February 5, 2009

trouble with the AVP movies was they had to put people in it.
posted by gonzo_ID at 1:49 AM on February 5, 2009 [4 favorites]

I met Vincent Ward at the pub once. I asked him straight up what went wrong with "Alien 3". He said everything was rocking along until it turned a "pissing contest" between him and the producers, all of whom had worked as directors-slash-writers in their time (his implication was that Walter Hill was the primary antagonist). In the end he was happy to (be paid to) walk away.

That said, if you read / watch anything about the end product of "A3", it's a suprise anything vaguely reasonable came out of it. It seems like it was a clusterfuck from start to finish.
posted by John Shaft at 2:29 AM on February 5, 2009 [3 favorites]

Sweet, it's Aliens time!
posted by autodidact at 3:08 AM on February 5, 2009

Check out William Gibson's Alien III script.

Spoiler: It's fucking awful.

But it's GIBBO!

Flagged as redundant.
posted by DU at 4:26 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

Wow, I'm surprised how well the Gothic stylings work with the established "Alien" aesthetic. It's like a big visual call-back to the abandoned ship in the first movie.

So is this movie on a double-bill with Fincher's "Rendezvous With Rama" at the Theater Of Dreams or what?
posted by The Whelk at 5:52 AM on February 5, 2009 [2 favorites]

wow lebbeus woods did some work on the movie, that would have been interesting
posted by doobiedoo at 6:40 AM on February 5, 2009

"Oh man," I thought to myself as I read the post on the front page. "Wait until Artw sees this."
posted by cortex at 7:06 AM on February 5, 2009

It can't be worse than the AVP movies.

Now, now. AVP1 is, admittedly, just a bug hunt. But it's a well-executed bug hunt, and it looks pretty good.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:08 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

I don't know who Fincher is, but even God Himself could not make a good movie out of Rendezvous with Rama. I enjoyed the book, but there's no real story there. I guess you could make it a mockumentary....
posted by DU at 7:11 AM on February 5, 2009

I really likes Alien 3 whaen it came out - thought it got bad press because of the frenzy Aliens. And I liked the way they bumped off the cute kid & the love interest straight away.

The re-cut of A3 is well worth a look. Much darker & harder, a bit like the blade runner (most recent) cut compared to the orig.
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 7:17 AM on February 5, 2009

I also really liked Alien 3 when it came out...
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 7:17 AM on February 5, 2009

I still like Alien3.
posted by oddman at 7:25 AM on February 5, 2009

Now, now. AVP1 is, admittedly, just a bug hunt. But it's a well-executed bug hunt, and it looks pretty good.

Of course. I am at a loss to understand those who lump the first and second flicks together: the first was an occasionally clever, well-cast and generally decent B-movie; certainly not in the league of the 1979 original, but then, what is?

The second should of course be consigned to the flames of woe.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:58 AM on February 5, 2009

I enjoyed the book, but there's no real story there.

Maybe everyone could age backwards?
posted by Artw at 7:59 AM on February 5, 2009 [2 favorites]

Nice, am a sucker for concept work. I recall reading somewhere that there was consternation amongst production staff that Ward had people outside the wooden sphere walking around; how could it have a gravity, atmosphere etc. - and weren't some set built for it then adapted for Alien 3??

Also, if you're a fan of the Alien pics I highly recommend 'Alien Quartet' by David Thomson, which includes a wonderful section detailing what he would liked to have seen for Alien 4 = a love story.
posted by jettloe at 8:07 AM on February 5, 2009

Your title automatically made me think of this. The plot could be easily turned into an aliens movie. Spaceship crashes on planet, aliens are there, Chewbacca comes out of nowhere saves the day. Then everyone dances. Instead of 3CPO tap dance at the end , I would have one of the aliens though, like in the end of space balls. What? It couldn't be much worse than the aliens monk movie...
posted by Mastercheddaar at 8:16 AM on February 5, 2009

I thought that said "C3PO lap dance" which gave a great geek-based business idea.
posted by DU at 8:50 AM on February 5, 2009 [2 favorites]

Related: this awesome MeFi thread on the Alien quadrology.
posted by Joe Beese at 8:50 AM on February 5, 2009

Yeah, saw this on io9 as well. I'm afraid I don't really understand the criticism of Alien3's aesthetic:

The movie called Alien3 that was made and seen around the world was conceived and directed by David Fincher, and is notable for it’s unremarkable sets and its unrelenting grimness.

The scene of Newt's funeral is fucking awesome, and it's not just Charles S. Dutton's moving eulogy that makes it work; it's the scope and power of giant blast furnace/foundry set. I think the sets in this are easily as remarkable as Hadley Station in Aliens, and writing a movie around a huge setpiece is a questionable motive for a sequel.
posted by butterstick at 9:39 AM on February 5, 2009

I didn't particularly enjoy "3," but I'm wondering if this new setting would have changed that. Something about the juxtaposition of medieval, modern, and otherworldly that might have been interesting.
posted by jon_hansen at 10:24 AM on February 5, 2009

Now, now. AVP1 is, admittedly, just a bug hunt. But it's a well-executed bug hunt, and it looks pretty good.

Maybe it was my respective age at seeing them, but The first Predator was awesome, and so were the first two aliens... I can even tolerate the second predator.

But AVP is sooooo cheesy. I mean, the human and predator teamed up! BOO! Almost as bad as the hybrid baby in Alien 4. You have some specimens form the serie that are so good, and interesting and visually engrossing...

and then..


a juvenile bug hunt.

AVP is (and was) something that should exist only as a video game. That's my opinion.
posted by 5imian at 11:19 AM on February 5, 2009

When was the last time you watched Predator 2? I really hated it when I first saw it in the nineties. Then after not seeing it for like 12 years I watched it a few years ago. It has aged pretty well, and it definitely treats the property with respect. It's also firmly R-rated as these things should be.

Alien 3 was the same thing... after seeing it in theatres opening night I was so disappointed I didn't watch it again until 2005. On rewatching I was struck by the atmosphere and impressed with the commitment to an evenly somber tone throughout. In retrospect I think it was a bold and intelligent move to kill off Newt and Hicks between sequels. If I had my druthers, they would have killed off Ripley as well.
posted by autodidact at 12:41 PM on February 5, 2009

I think comparisons can be made between Alien and Jaws, in that they both transcend being just the B-movie they could have been. So if you want to cheer yourself up when looking at the sequels and spin-offs you can always say "Oh well, at least it's not Jaws".

(That is until they do an Alien Vs Predator 3D)
posted by Artw at 12:48 PM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

No i'm pretty cool with Predator 2.

Buy AVP is "teh suxorz"
posted by 5imian at 1:20 PM on February 5, 2009

*But
posted by 5imian at 1:20 PM on February 5, 2009

i just read the whole "monks in space" script. pretty good! is there anyone else who would have rather seen this version made?
posted by radiosig at 1:36 PM on February 5, 2009

...If I had my druthers, they would have killed off Ripley as well.

You did watch to the end right? ;) That's one of the (many) things I like about A3; it serves as a nice bookend for Ripley as a character, and it's a fitting 3rd chapter for a trilogy.
posted by butterstick at 1:51 PM on February 5, 2009

In space no one can hear your furtive masturbation.

Ceiling facehugger is watching you furtively masturbate.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:34 PM on February 5, 2009 [3 favorites]

God Himself could not make a good movie out of Rendezvous with Rama. I enjoyed the book, but there's no real story there.

I think it was called 2001: Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
posted by rokusan at 3:58 PM on February 5, 2009

Heh. Rama is oblivious to the carbon-based units.

IIRC The Rama sequels actually have more plot and action and that kind of thing, replacing a lot of the awe and wonder at thinsg that are Very, Very Big, but are unfortunately also a bit crap.
posted by Artw at 5:13 PM on February 5, 2009

i'm just glad i'm not the only person who really liked alien 3.
posted by shmegegge at 11:48 AM on February 6, 2009

cortex: "Oh man," I thought to myself as I read the post on the front page. "Wait until Artw sees this."

I thought the same thing about cortex. Then I expected a debate about canon.
posted by Pronoiac at 3:52 PM on February 6, 2009

I just read the Twohy script; it's pretty good, but I don't know how it would have worked out as an Alien movie. But then, a lot of it got recycled into the first half of Chronicles of Riddick.
posted by lekvar at 4:49 PM on February 6, 2009