Movies
Steven Spielberg Could Have Killed ‘Aliens’ and the Rest of the franchise: “Thank goodness you didn’t do that
The director of ‘Jaws’ and ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’ is relieved that James Cameron did not follow his recommendations.
Steven Spielberg is a living legend of cinema, a director with a varied filmography of unquestionable quality. Among his most outstanding titles are classics such as ‘Jaws’, ‘Indiana Jones’ or ‘Schindler’s List’, although his list is full of other classics. That doesn’t mean he’s infallible, not all his ideas are right. The suggestion he made to James Cameron regarding ‘Aliens’ is an example of this, something Spielberg himself acknowledges. The comments were made at a Directors Guild of America roundtable discussion attended by both filmmakers.
“We were talking about Amazing Stories… and you said, ‘Oh, I know what to do, I know what to do... because the first Alien was bad, have this one — the alien — be misunderstood, and the humans are trying to kill it, and running around the ship,” Cameron recalls. “Thank goodness you didn’t do that,” Spielberg responded. Time has proven the ‘Titanic’ director’s vision right, as ‘Aliens’ is one of the most celebrated action and science fiction films in the history of cinema.
Why James Cameron did not work with Steven Spielberg
At the time, both directors were flirting with the idea of collaborating on a project, although Cameron ultimately decided not to make ‘Amazing Stories’. “You know, I love that, you know, just sort of creative process. Watching it in action. And that’s why I knew I wasn’t doing ‘Amazing Stories’, because there’s no way I wanted to be that close to that bright of a light at that point. I was still trying to get my candle lit, you know.” Although the collaboration never materialized, the two filmmakers have great respect for each other.
If James Cameron had followed Steven Spielberg’s advice, the franchise would have taken a very different path. As they say in ‘Alien’, the xenomorphs are deadly creatures that are not bound by the dictates of morality. They kill and hunt because it is their nature.
‘Alien Romulus’ is already in theaters around the world.