In the diverse field of sci-fi horror, the Alien franchise stands as a cornerstone. A film series that launched the genre’s popularity to its greatest heights. The space horror production was established by the renowned director Ridley Scott back in 1979, when the first movie came out. Since then, the murderous ETs have been handled by various auteurs, from James Cameron to David Fincher. Finnish director Renny Harlin once was painfully close to joining that list.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 director once had a chance to direct the third installment in the Alien filmology. But destiny had other plans for Harlin, who had to part ways with the project after desperately trying to convince 20th Century Studios of his vision for the film and failing.
Harlin’s plans would have steered the franchise back to its horror roots as opposed to more sci-fi as seen in later films. Would that have been better for the Alien movies?
Renny Harlin’s Alien 3 would’ve been set on earth
Back in 1989, Renny Harlin was called in to direct the third Alien movie. The first Alien movie was the perfect example of space and horror mixed in equal proportions. From Aliens (1986), the franchise leaned more towards sci-fi.
Harlin’s original concept would’ve seen Alien 3 going back to its horror roots. In a recent interview with SlashFilm, Harlin revealed:
I always thought that I had a good idea. And you have to remember when you put it into perspective, I was working on “Alien 3” in ’89, which was before “Jurassic Park” and all those movies. So, the concept of having these creatures on Earth, for the studio, it felt scary and unattainable. For me, it was the natural evolution.
We’ve had the alien with the truck drivers in space, we’ve had aliens with the Marines in space, and where do we go next? Let’s bring the aliens on Earth and have them going through the cornfield. I had the poster already in my mind with the farmhouse and the cornfield in moonlight, and they are going through the cornfield.
It seems like Harlin had a pretty clear picture for his Alien story, down to the minute details. However, the studio executives felt taking the space element away from the franchise and basing it on Earth would take away its charm.
And hence, to play it safe, they turned down Harlin’s pitch. But they would later come back to the premise several decades into the future.
The new Alien TV series is also set on earth
The Alien franchise has traditionally been based in outer space. However, a new Alien TV series, headed by Noah Hawley for FX, will ironically be set on earth. Hence, we can actually see Renny Harlin’s future coming to fruition, though without his presence.
Harlin expressed his regret in the same interview, claiming that his film would’ve been a big hit. He continued:
And to this day, I think it would’ve been a ginormous hit movie because it would’ve been the first time anything like that was done. But for whatever reason, the studio felt like, “Ah, the audience won’t buy that. So let’s put the aliens on a prison ship.”
Though it’s not like Aliens have not been on Earth before; they’ve played a crucial role in both the Alien vs. Predator movies (the first being set in Antarctica), they haven’t had a solo outing yet. But both of them and all the Alien movies showcase more sci-fi than horror.
Ignoring the horror element might’ve been the reason why there was a gradual decrease in the franchise’s popularity and rating. If Harlin’s Alien 3 had become a reality, it might’ve been a success like his A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Even in recent times, Hollywood has shown that sci-fi and jumpscares can mix well, as we saw in A Quiet Place.
All the Alien movies can be rented on Amazon Prime.
