Ridley Scott established one of the greatest sci-fi franchises ever made with Aliens. Having pioneered the blend of sci-fiction and horror, Scott never imagined in his wildest dreams that he could ever be replaced. After 1979’s Alien, notable filmmaker James Cameron took the reins of the sequel, Aliens in 1986.
While the Canadian director is revered for his work, his work ethic on set doesn’t sit well with many. Cameron transformed the sequel into a box-office smash, earning the Aliens franchise greater recognition. Cameron’s sequel was one of the rare sequels that bested the original film. Interestingly, the director’s presence wasn’t appreciated by the Aliens crew. More so, they had little faith in his abilities, expecting him to fail Scott’s franchise.
Aliens crew despised James Cameron
Ridley Scott’s masterwork with Alien was hailed by the world as well as the crew whom he had filmed with. Therefore, after news erupted that James Cameron would be replacing the English director, whose ingenuity won the film an Academy Award, the crew was not happy. The negative emotions heightened once Cameron stepped on the sets of Pinewood Studios in Britain in 1986.
As the Season 3 of Netflix’s The Movies That Made Us described in the designated Aliens episode, Cameron persistently kept the crew on edge. It is well-known that Cameron was keen on taking his own approach to the sequel, focusing on a more action-centric plot. Therefore, the crew was highly displeased and felt that the franchise was to spiral.
Moreover, the episode unravels about how Cameron would fire the employees from the crew if they didn’t fit into his manual. He was labeled as “undermining” and “madman” in the feature. Cameron’s approach was peculiar and cost-cutting, which ultimately transpired the detest from the crew. Regardless, Cameron did the unthinkable and propelled the franchise to greater heights with his finesse.
Ridley Scott was enraged by his replacement
A notable director himself, Ridley Scott was taken by surprise when he was replaced by James Cameron for the Alien sequel. Scott, who created the blockbuster alien Xenomorph, was no longer needed to direct the second installment. Thus, after he learned the update from James Cameron himself, he was “pissed.”
In an interview with Deadline, the 86-year-old filmmaker recalled his phone conversation with Cameron hesitantly explaining his replacement. Scott disclosed,
“When Jim called me up and said, listen … he was very nice but he said, this is tough, your beast is so unique. It’s hard to make him as frightening again, now familiar ground. So he said, I’m going in a more action, army kind of way. I said, okay. And that’s the first time I actually thought, welcome to Hollywood.”
The two directors knew each other, while ‘friends’ would be an overstatement. Hence, after Cameron informed him, Scott had a tough time getting to terms with it. Nevertheless, Scott can reassure himself with the fact that he created a multi-billion dollar franchise of six movies, and the world shall remember him for that.
