Making the perfect organism is hard. Let’s talk about how difficult it was to make the Alien trilogy, from James Cameron feuding with his British crew on Aliens to David Fincher being micromanaged by Fox on Alien 3.
💸 | Support us! https://www.patreon.com/itwasashtshow
🔗 | Follow us! https://linktr.ee/itwasashtshow
👕 | Buy our merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/itwasashtshow
In the entertainment world, there are millions of dollars on the line and troubled productions are bound to happen. Whether it's big egos, bigger budgets, or just plain bad luck, we are going behind-the-scenes on these disastrous, never ending, and sometimes dangerous productions. From the creators of WTF Happened To This Movie?, It Was A Sh*t Show is a video essay/documentary/podcast series looking at some of your favorite films and tv shows, and why they were such a nightmare to make.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - Dan O’Bannon’s Alien
01:25 - David Giler & Walter Hill’s Rewrite
02:25 - Ridley Scott Boards Alien
03:45 - H.R. Giger’s Xenomorph Design
04:12 - O’Bannon: The Loose Cannon
05:42 - Oxygen, Allergies, & Chestbursters
06:43 - Scott’s Revised Ending(s)
08:08 - Alien Releases May 25, 1979
09:22 - Fox vs Brandywine
09:49 - Brandywine finds James Cameron
11:35 - Cameron’s Money Fights with Fox
13:05 - Scheduling Chaos & James Remar
13:49 - James Cameron vs the British Crew
16:35 - Oxygen, APCs, & James Horner
17:37 - Cutting Ripley’s Arc
18:35 - Aliens Releases July 18, 1986
19:32 - Brandywine’s Many False Starts
21:25 - Vincent Ward’s Wooden Vision
22:50 - Fox Loses Faith Ward’s Alien 3
23:57 - Dealing David Fincher a Bad Hand
25:31 - Fincher’s Endless Fox Problems
27:53 - A Difficult David Fincher
29:10 - Fires, Bullies, & Teaser Trailers
30:14 - The Final Disastrous Pieces
31:37 - Alien 3 Releases May 22, 1992
32:22 - Director Cuts of Each Film
Sources:
Alien
The Alien Legacy (1999)
American Cinematographer: https://bit.ly/4e4xery
Cinefantastique Vol. 9, #1 (Fall 1979)
Empire: https://bit.ly/3XiMYQR
Hollywood Reporter: https://bit.ly/4dG0bdC
Ridley Scott: A Biography: https://bit.ly/3T8RwYI
Shock Value: https://bit.ly/4e2Td1V
Starlog Magazine #26 (Sept 1979)
Aliens
The Alien Saga (2002)
Cinefex Magazine #27 (Aug 1986)
Empire: https://bit.ly/3T5jdBW
https://bit.ly/4eggIoN
Entertainment Weekly: https://bit.ly/3XAcbHJ
The Futurist: https://bit.ly/473EgdL
IndieWire: https://bit.ly/4e8CH0E
LA Times: https://bit.ly/4dNLZPF
https://bit.ly/3ZdNqCA
The Making of Aliens: https://bit.ly/47oNb9O
Popmatters: https://bit.ly/4e3Syxf
Time: https://bit.ly/4cOxPfT
Vulture: https://bit.ly/3N5Wims
Alien 3
Ain’t It Cool News: https://bit.ly/476sxLn
AVP Galaxy: https://bit.ly/3Nf6QzP
Cinescape (Nov 1997)
Den of Geek: https://bit.ly/47BKSAw
Empire: https://bit.ly/3T8eCyG
https://bit.ly/4g8pNRN
Entertainment Weekly: https://bit.ly/4fXhOqG
Film Stories: https://bit.ly/3zNwIj3
Guardian: https://bit.ly/3yWTgxw
LA Times: https://bit.ly/3BEGuEB
Moviehole: https://bit.ly/3zgqxnB
Perfect Organism: https://bit.ly/4etkBa5
Playboy: https://bit.ly/3Y4mUdZ
Premiere Vol 5, #9 (May 1992)
Total Film: https://bit.ly/3XDrYEq
William Gibson: https://bit.ly/47xbB0S
Featured Footage:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Alien (1979)*
Aliens (1986)*
Alien 3 (1992)*
Alien: Covenant (2012)
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
The Duellists (1977)
The Hitcher (1986)
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)*
Predator (1987)
Prometheus (2012)
Spaceballs (1987)
Star Wars (1977)
The Terminator (1984)*
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
*and special features
AVP Galaxy: http://y2u.be/GIuxQ_xAb-Y
BBC One: http://y2u.be/7lTrWku8Qn4
The Beast Within: Making Alien (2003)
Cinema Surgery: http://y2u.be/IeirBBM7Nls
Entertainment Weekly: http://y2u.be/FEp_ncFOxEM
Film4: http://y2u.be/ezU5T9bdzcU
GQ: http://y2u.be/nIEbpGdctyg
Superior Firepower: Making Aliens (2003)
Wreckage and Rage: Making Alien 3 (2003)
Music:
Elliot Goldenthal - Alien 3 OST
James Horner - Aliens OST
Jerry Goldsmith - Alien OST
Ryan Hudson - Sh*t Show Theme
#itwasashtshow #alien #sigourneyweaver