Ali
Exciting news for those aching for some sort of chestbuster fix. An unused script for “Alien 3”, penned by William Gibson of ‘Neuromancer’ fame, is being turned into an audiobook by Audible. Furthermore, it’ll feature Michael Biehn as ‘Hicks’, reprising – if even only in voice – his fanboy favorite from the 1986 classic “Aliens”.
Though an “Alien 3” (1992) exists, the David Fincher-directed film is – I think it’s fair to say – one of the most disappointing sequels in cinemadom. Killing off Newt and Hicks before within the opening minutes of the film, and consequently going on to tell a reasonable but hardly captivating tale that sees Ripley teaming up with prisoners to escape the old bitch again, it’s a much maligned bit of art.
So, what could have been?
You can find out in the audiobook – and the Dark Horse comic that also features Gibson’s storyline -which, though undated, will likely hit before mid-year.
There’s still a shot that Biehn might get to reprise Hicks on the big screen too. A script by Neil Blomkamp, that re-teams Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley and Biehn’s Hicks, and is set directly after the events of James Cameron’s 1986 film, is doing the rounds. Though Fox insitially passed on doing the film, Cameron’s enthusiasm for it has reportedly popped it back into the ‘consideration’ pile.
Meanwhile, here’s the blurb for Gibson’s “Alien 3” audiobook :
This terrifying, cinematic multicast dramatisation – directed by the multi award-winning Dirk Maggs, is the chance to experience William Gibson’s untold story and its terrifying, claustrophobic and dark encounters between humans and aliens, as a completely immersive audio experience.
The story begins with the Sulaco on its return journey from LV-426. On board the military ship are the cryogenically frozen skeleton crew of that film’s survivors: Ripley, Hicks, Newt and Bishop.
We travel aboard and hear an alarm blare. Our heroes are no longer alone….
