David Fincher‭’‬s first film was nearly his last.‭ ‬In the‭ ‬early part of‭ ‬1991,‭ ‬Fincher was better known as a director of commercials and muisc videos,‭ ‬a‭ ‬29-year-old‭ ‬filmmaker‭ ‬who‭’‬d cut his teeth working‭ ‬as a special effects cameraman‭ ‬on Return of the Jedi before making promos for Nike and Madonna.‭ ‬By the time Fincher signed up for Alien‭ ‬3,‭ ‬the production was already in disarray.‭ ‬The script had gone through draft after draft as screenwriters and directors came and went‭; ‬before filming had begun,‭ ‬Alien‭ ‬3‭ ‬had already hired and lost directors Renny Harlin and Vincent Ward,‭ ‬and writers Eric Red and William Gibson.

Fincher therefore inherited the mother of all poisoned chalices.‭ ‬Here was the chance to direct his own Alien movie‭ ‬-‭ ‬the‭ ‬1979‭ ‬original had long been one of Fincher‭’‬s favorites‭ ‬-‭ ‬but with the pressure of meeting a deadline Fox had set months earlier for‭ ‬the following‭ ‬spring of‭ ‬1992.‭ ‬When Fincher signed on,‭ ‬huge sets had already been‭ ‬constructed at the UK‭’‬s Shepperton Studios,‭ ‬all based on a now obsolete draft of the script.‭ ‬When filming commenced in January‭ ‬1991,‭ ‬the pages were still being rewritten‭ ‬with scenes crafted so they could take place in the set-pieces that had already been built.‭

By this point,‭ ‬Alien‭ ‬3‭’‬s producers were distinctly nervous.‭ ‬Millions had already been spent,‭ ‬the film‭’‬s release date was looming,‭ ‬and here was Fincher,‭ ‬a first-time director caught in the middle of it all.‭ ‬Men in suits were standing on the sidelines while filming went on,‭ ‬arms folded.‭ ‬Faxes were coming in with script changes on an almost daily basis.‭ ‬But if the bosses at Fox thought they had a suggestible director who‭’‬d do as he was told,‭ ‬they were sorely mistaken‭; ‬Fincher clashed repeatedly with producers,‭ ‬insisting on using his own ideas and pushing back against demands to speed up his rate of filming or drop scenes entirely.‭

After a long and miserable winter‭’‬s filming,‭ ‬however,‭ ‬Fincher had walked away from the movie,‭ ‬as Fox demanded a barrage of reshoots following a screening of Alien‭ ‬3‭‘‬s rough cut.‭ ‬Exhausted and frustrated by the experience,‭ ‬Fincher almost left the film industry altogether,‭ ‬and didn‭’‬t return until‭ ‬he made Seven for New Line in‭ ‬1995‭ ‬-‭ ‬a hit thriller which finally gave him the directorial control denied him during the making of Alien‭ ‬3.