Filmmaking is a very different business now than back in the ‘80s. Nowadays, if you have a film that does really well and leads to a franchise, it’s most likely that the original filmmaker will get paid a lot of money to keep it going. But decades ago, that just wasn’t the case, which explains why Ridley Scott is still upset.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, while promoting his long-awaited “Gladiator” sequel, the filmmaker talked about the real reason why he wasn’t the filmmaker for any of the ‘Alien’ sequels until decades later. Believe it or not, he was never asked.
“I’m the author of two franchises,” Scott said. “Most directors in Hollywood — certainly, let’s say, at my level — don’t let that stuff go. But I did ‘Alien’ as my second movie, so I didn’t have much choice. And ‘Blade Runner‘ was my third movie. So, I had no choice because I had very tough partners. It was kind of ‘Welcome to Hollywood.’”
He added, “I was never told or asked [about sequels]. You can imagine I wasn’t happy.”
Famously, James Cameron was hired to replace Scott for the ‘Alien’ sequel, which would become “Aliens.” Then David Fincher was selected to helm the third film. It wasn’t until years later, when Scott would return for “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” but by then the franchise was already in pretty rough shape, necessitating a bit of a reboot, which we’re getting this year with “Alien: Romulus.”
Of course, the idea of replacing a filmmaker after they made an incredible film is a wild concept. Studios love when they can keep a franchise going with the original artistic voices present. Well, all studios except Marvel Studios. It’s a different situation over there.
You can see Ridley Scott’s return to the “Gladiator” franchise when “Gladiator II” debuts in theaters on November 22.