Aliens Behind-the-Scenes Drama Was as Messy as a Xenomorph Attack

July 28, 2024

The Big Picture

Aliens , the sequel to Alien , was a brazen and successful sci-fi action-adventure film that skyrocketed Sigourney Weaver to stardom and gave us the iconic quote "Get away from her, you bitch!"
Behind the scenes, Aliens faced numerous challenges, from financial disputes to convincing Weaver to join the film and addressing her stance on gun control.
The production was filled with drama, including James Cameron firing crew members, an incident with a shotgun, clashes with the British crew over tea breaks, and various mishaps during filming. Despite it all, Aliens was released and became a historic success.

When James Cameron pitched his idea for a sequel to the 1979 science-fiction horror classic Alien, he wrote down "Aliens"... and then promptly changed the s at the end to a dollar sign: Alien$. Cocky? Maybe a little. Brazen? Yes. Successful? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Aliens took a different route with the xenomorph from the first film and crafted a sci-fi action-adventure masterpiece, to the tune of $183 million at the worldwide box office. Aliens skyrocketed Sigourney Weaver to Hollywood's A-list, and gave the franchise its most memorable quote with Ripley's "Get away from her, you bitch!"

Yet it wouldn't be a James Cameron film without some sort of drama behind the scenes now, would it? And Aliens had more than its fair share. It's a tale of ultimatums, hirings, firings (literally firings), and culture clashes. The story of a film that played fast and loose with hazardous fumes, automobile mishaps, and knife tricks. Plus, the worst possible thing that can befall a movie production: tea time. You might say that despite the excellence of the finished product, the stuff behind the scenes hews much closer to the events on screen in another Cameron film: Titanic. And Aliens came perilously close to suffering the same fate as the ocean liner.

Aliens

R Sci-FiActionAdventure

Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.

Release Date July 18, 1986 Director James Cameron Cast Sigourney Weaver , Michael Biehn , William Hope , Jenette Goldstein , Carrie Henn , Paul Reiser , Lance Henriksen , Bill Paxton Runtime 137 minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Writers James Cameron , David Giler , Walter Hill Studio 20th Century Fox Expand

The Problems With 'Aliens' Started Before Filming Even Began

Even before Cameron's involvement, Aliens was fighting for its life. The Fox executive that had okayed Alien, Alan Ladd Jr., had left the company. The producers of Alien were suing Fox over their cut of the film. Sequels in general were a hard sell, as author J.W. Rinzler says, "Even though they did make sequels back then, they didn't make as many sequels because the general rule of thumb was that a sequel cost twice as much and made half as much." Those issues were largely resolved by the time Cameron was hired, only to be replaced with new ones. While it would seem to be a no-brainer to bring Weaver back as Ripley, Fox didn't want to use her because she would cost too much, and Weaver was reluctant and needed to be convinced the film wasn't just a money-grab, but a decent film that could stand on its own. And then there was the issue of guns in the film. Weaver is a staunch gun control advocate, and it took some time for Cameron to explain why they were necessary for the film (she would later jokingly refer to herself as "Rambolina"). Finally, Weaver was on board (apparently helped by a trick Cameron pulled), but now Fox and Weaver's agents were at it over costs yet again, so Cameron and Gale Hurd said, "f**k all y'all, we're going to get married in Hawaii, and it's all off, and we just walked away." Cameron had forced their hand, and it paid off.

To This Day, No One Does Aliens Like the ‘Alien’ Franchise

H.R. Giger's xenomorphs continue to be the gold standard of aliens on film.

Filming began at Pinewood Studios outside of London, but not without some fireworks to get things started. Cameron and Hurd (who produced the film) fired the cinematographer Dick Bush for complaining about the shooting schedule. This was followed by the original actor for Corporal Hicks, James Remar, being fired for drug possession. Oh, and, reportedly, an incident with a live shotgun Remar was carrying going off and blasting a hole in a nearby soundstage wall, where Frank Oz was filming Little Shop of Horrors. That's as close to just cause as you'll ever get. This left the door open to Cameron casting Michael Biehn in the role. Had that been it for behind-the-scenes drama, the production would have sailed on with its problems taken care of early on in the process. But that would make for a largely uninteresting article now, wouldn't it? No, the problems were just starting, and it was time for the main event: James Cameron vs. the film crew.

The Biggest Fight in ‘Aliens’ Wasn’t on the Screen

To the seasoned British crew, Aliens was another job like any other. To the super-aggressive Cameron, Aliens was his sole focus, and he knew exactly what he wanted. And the clash of cultures that almost ended the film was tea time, as per Rinzler's interview with IGN. When the tea trolley would come around, the close-knit crew would stop whatever they were working on for a 15-minute tea break. To Cameron, that was time that should have been used for filming. This led to Cameron labeling the crew as "lazy" and "arrogant." The tea time tradition soon saw Cameron and assistant director Derek Cracknell butt heads, with Cameron so frustrated he fired Cracknell. Cracknell being fired did not go over well, prompting the crew to walk off the set. According to Rinzler's The Making of Aliens book, the film was saved by Weaver brokering a peace offering between the two parties. Cracknell pledged to be more supportive of Cameron's vision, while Cameron promised to be far more chill about tea breaks. With Cracknell rehired, the crew returned to work.

With the film back on track, the rest of the production was problem-free. Not. According to a JoBlo interview with Jenette Goldstein, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, and Goldstein had to hold their breath while filming a scene in which toxic chemicals were burned, sending off hazardous fumes. Then there's the famed knife trick, where Bishop (Lance Henriksen) shows off his skills with a knife, using Hudson's (Paxton) hand as a guinea pig. The first take was almost perfect, but the second take... As recounted by Henriksen, "I gave Bill a blood blister; he moved his pinkie into the line of fire, and I pinched it. I didn't even cut a hole in [his finger], and he was acting like I stabbed him with an ice pick! It was pretty funny, actually. ... I felt bad about it ... but not really." Despite it all, Aliens was released in July 1986, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Aliens is currently available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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