— Ch. 1 · Development And Production History —
Aliens (film).
~9 min read · Ch. 1 of 8
In 1983, James Cameron submitted a forty-two-page film treatment for the sequel to Alien. The studio had a mixed reaction, with one executive calling it a constant stream of horror without character development. Fox executives believed Aliens success was a fluke and that it had not generated enough profit or audience interest to warrant a sequel. Progress slowed further when Brandywine co-founders David Giler and Walter Hill sued Fox for unpaid profits from the original film. Using Hollywood accounting methods, Fox declared Alien a financial loss despite its earnings of over $100 million against a nine-to-eleven-million-dollar budget. The lawsuit settled by early 1983, resulting in Fox financing the development but not distributing the film. Lawrence Gordon replaced Joe Wizan as studio president and looked at sequels to Fox's existing properties. He found Cameron's ninety-page script and gave him the job despite his limited directing experience. Cameron's only prior credit was Piranha II: The Spawning, a low-budget independent horror film. His credibility rose following the surprise financial and critical success of The Terminator in late 1984. Cameron wanted his partner Gale Anne Hurd to serve as producer, but Fox did not take the request seriously initially. Hurd had industry associates contact executives to convince them she was legitimate. Cameron turned in the finished script in February 1985, hours before a Hollywood writer's strike. Fox estimated the cost as close to thirty-five million dollars, while Hurd said it would be closer to fifteen-point-five million. Barry Diller offered twelve million, prompting Cameron and Hurd to quit temporarily. Gordon negotiated with Diller until he relented, allowing the project to move forward.
Casting And Character Development
Sigourney Weaver received a one-million-dollar salary plus a percentage of box-office profits for her role as Ellen Ripley. Negotiations were so lengthy that Cameron and Hurd told Schwarzenegger's agent they intended to write Ripley out of the movie. Carrie Henn was an unknown actor scouted by agents while she was at school in Lakenheath, England. She lacked acting experience but possessed what Cameron called a great face and expressive eyes. Stephen Lang auditioned for the role of Hicks, but James Remar secured the part on Walter Hill's recommendation. Remar left shortly into filming after being arrested for drug possession. Michael Biehn was hired the following Friday to replace him. Bill Paxton credited his casting as Hudson to a chance encounter with Cameron at Los Angeles International Airport. He mentioned he would be interested in a role, and Fox supported the decision due to positive feedback from Weird Science. Lance Henriksen played Bishop, an android aboard the Sulaco. He suggested wearing distinctive contact lenses to convey when Bishop was alerted to danger, though Cameron believed they would make the character appear more frightening than the aliens. The Colonial Marines cast underwent three weeks of intensive training with British Special Air Service veterans. Vietnam War veteran Al Matthews helped train actors how to handle firearms properly because blanks were still hazardous. Jenette Goldstein wore dark contact lenses and spent an hour in makeup to cover freckles and darken her skin to portray a Chicano character. She studied Mexican-American gang interviews to develop her demeanor and accent.