Genre:
Action/Science Fiction.
Studio:
Twentieth Century Fox.
Production Company:
Unknown.
Project Phase:
In the Can.
Who's In It:
Sanaa Lathan (Alex Kline; Lance Henriksen (Charles Bishop Weyland); Ewen Bremmer (Graham Miller); Raoul Bova (Sebastian de Rosa); Colin Salmon (Max Stafford); Tommy Flanagan (Verheiden); Agathe De La Boulaye (Adele Rousseau); Adrian Bouchet (Sven); Carsten Norgaard (Quinn); Jospeh Rye (Connors); Sam Troughton (Thomas); Ian White; Tom Woodruff Jr.
Who's Making It:
Paul W. S. Anderson (Director); Shane Salerno, Paul W. S. Anderson (Screenwriters); Gordon Carroll, David Giler, John Davis, Walter Hill (Producers); Wyck Godfrey, Mike Richardson, Thomas M. Hammel (Executive Producers); Lawrence Gordon, David Minkowski, Matthew Stillman, Chris Symes (Co-Producer); David Johnson (Director of Photography); Alexander Berner (Editor); Amalgamated Dynamics (Special Makeup and Creature Effects); based on the Aliens vs. Predator comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics.
Premise:
Venturing into the Antarctics wastes, an industrial entrepreneur and his team of soldiers and scientists discover a buried structure under the ice. Inside they find remains of prehistoric humans and something unexpected: alien eggs. To their horror the team discovers that the eggs can still hatch, infect and give birth to biomechanical Aliens. And that's when a second extraterrestrial species shows up: the Predators.
Release Date:
August 13, 2004.
Comments:
None.
Scoop Feedback:
Morning, June 16, 2003... There hasn't been much news lately on Paul W.S. Anderson's ALIEN VS. PREDATOR project. We know Anderson stepped down as director on RESIDENT EVIL 2 so he could focus on the A VS. P project but that was months ago. Where does the project stand now? Is there even a finished script??
According to our latest scooper, there is indeed a finished script out there. Our reader, whose name we're keeping confidential, contacted us over the weekend and told us their story about how they encountered the screenplay and what they learned about its storyline. The scooper's story is indeed plausible but is it really the truth? Since we cannot confirm our scooper's story with absolute certainty we must advise you keep a skeptical but open mind as you read their words...
"I am a flight attendant for a major airline and on my flight from LA to Chicago today, I saw a man reading a script. I thought he was an actor and read over his shoulder only to see the words Alien and Predator in the script! I later approached him and asked him what he was reading and he let me know openly that it was the first draft for a new movie! So, I then apologized for reading over his shoulder and asked him if it was for the Alien Vs. Predator movie?? He said yeah and that the first draft was really good! The cover was white and simply stated A. v. P. written by Wes? (trying to remember the first name) Anderson.
"I saw the name Rex in the script many times so I would assume it is a major character. I read a few lines of a major battle between the Alien and Predator and it sounded great! The alien gets a good stab in with his tail into the Predator. The guy apparently works for Mr. Anderson who is writing and directing and should start shooting late this Fall for a 2004ish release he said. Casting is happening right now, no names yet though. He said that it was just a first draft, but that it was great! He did let me know that it takes place in Present Day and has all new characters... so NO Ripley this time. It's like a series of its own, not really a sequel to either the Predator or Alien series. He also said that a portion of it takes place in Antarctica and is underground in the ice caves."
[Our thanks to "Fly Boy" for sending us this report from the friendly skies.]
This is the first that Coming Attractions has ever heard of possible settings and locations in Anderson's A VS. P script -- so if the report is legit, just remember you heard it here first.
Afternoon, June 16, 2003... The FilmJerk website has followed up on our ALIEN VS. PREDATOR article posted earlier today and confirmed that the action does take place in Antartica and that the film's main character is named Lex. Furthermore, FilmJerk has posted detailed character descriptions of the seven main characters in Paul W.S. Anderson's screenplay, as well as revealing that the film may be filming as early as October this year.
FilmJerk describes the main character of Alexia "Lex" Homer as follows: "In her late 20s, Lex is stunning, buff, courageous, and intelligent, as well as the heroine of this film. She is an environmental researcher hired by Weyland Industries to keep everyone on the expedition 'alive,' as the head of the company puts it. A tough cookie, with a good sense of humor, she has a history of guts and glory having been the youngest to climb Mount Everest without oxygen tanks. Lex is initially second in command to Max Stafford, but when all hell breaks loose, she must assume full leadership of the remaining crew. She is not only a survivor, but a true warrior as well."
To read the remaining character profiles, you'll need to check out FilmJerk's article -- but it should be noted that one of the remaining characters described, that of a "driven billionaire industrialist" named Charles Weyland, shares one of the same names as the devious company that owned the Nostromo and colony in ALIEN and ALIENS: Weyland-Yutani. Could Charles Weyland be one of the founders of Weyland-Yutani, and as such did he have knowledge of the Aliens as far back as present day??
Makes for some interesting speculation, doesn't it?
July 22, 2003... So by now you should have heard the news that 20th Century Fox has given a greenlight to ALIEN VS PREDATOR, the long-awaited meeting of two of sci-fi's biggest and baddest creatures. If you attended the San Diego Comic-Con last week you may have even spotted people wearing the crew t-shirt, a simple black number that read "AvP" on the back.
While writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson prepares to start filming this year, a reader emailed us with some news about the production that he's heard. We're keeping the how a secret for now to protect this individual's position, but they wanted us to know the gossip they've heard up to now.
According to our source, Anderson is aiming for an October start to filming in Prague. The source also said that a good number of sets will be barren ice caves since the project takes place mostly in Antarctica.
But the source also heard a very tantalizing casting scoop: supposedly Milla Jovovich was cast as the film's female lead. While it's true that Anderson had written the AvP script with a strong female as the film's primary character, even our scooper doubted this rumor when they first heard it. Jovovich is committed to starring in RESIDENT EVIL 2, which starts filming in August in Toronto. Could she finish her work in RE2 and prepare for another role in just two months?
We also thought that the casting rumor sounded suspect, so we contacted a representative for 20th Century Fox. The Fox rep immediately denied that Jovovich was cast in ALIEN VS PREDATOR; in fact, no casting had yet happened. "Nothing could be further from the truth," was their exact quote.
[Thanks to "Mac" for joining us on the hunt. Don't be a stranger!]
September 19, 2003... Variety is reporting that Amalgamated Dynamics, the creature effects shop, will craft the critters for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR. The firm, led by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr., created the creature designs for the previous two ALIEN pictures, ALIEN 3 and ALIEN RESURRECTION.
AD plans on making the two xenomorphs look fresh and slightly different in the new movie than from their previous appearances. An enhanced motion control system should allow for faster response time, more fluid movement and look more realistic than earlier versions could achieve. That's not to say that the FX team will be using animatronic devices for all the Aliens and Predators we'll see; they'll also use the oldest and best kind of means to make a monster: by putting someone in a foam suit.
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR is scheduled to begin filming in October in Prague. [Variety.]
September 20, 2003... "The Magic 8-Ball" (who was 100% right about when we'd see the teaser trailer for RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE) knocked on our door late last night to tell us another scoop. Are you ready to see your first look at Paul Anderson's ALIEN VS. PREDATOR next month?
A teaser trailer for AVP will ship with all prints of ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT -- which is now moved up two full days from its original release date of Halloween. ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT will now be in theaters on Wednesday, October 29.
[After shaking 'The Magic 8-Ball' this time, it read "You have my sympathies."]
September 29, 2003... Actor Lance Henriksen, who portrayed the android Bishop in ALIENS and then Bishop's human creator in ALIEN 3, is getting another face-to-face encounter with the extraterrestrial bugs. Henriksen is the first to be cast in Paul Anderson's ALIEN VS. PREDATOR movie.
As far as can be discerned, the character that Henriksen will play in ALIEN VS. PREDATOR will not be connected to Bishop in any way. Instead, Henriksen is playing billionaire industrialist Charles Weyland, the man who assembles the team to investigate the strange subterranean structure discovered in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. Our own sources have told us that Weyland is indeed one of the founders of the Weyland-Yutani conglomerate, the company that owned the Nostromo seen in ALIEN, the colony on LV-426 in ALIENS and the prison facility from ALIEN 3. It's likely that the seeds of the Weyland-Yutani corporation, as well as their interest in the Alien lifeform, will be laid in Anderson's film.
Also, the news of Henriksen's casting also revealed that screenwriter Shane Salerno is being credited as working on the AvsP script. Salerno was the creator of the short-lived TV series UC: UNDERCOVER and is working on the GHOST RIDER screenplay. [The Hollywood Reporter.]
October 24, 2003... Actress Sanaa Lathan (who can be seen playing opposite Denzel Washington in OUT OF TIME) has landed the role of Lex Kline in ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, Paul W.S. Anderson's meeting of the 20th Century Fox extraterrestrials. Lathan's character is the lead in the film, kind of like Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the stand-alone ALIEN films. Whereas Ripley was a Warrant Officer on an interstellar commercial ore refinery that was at the wrong place and wrong time, Lathan's Kline is a professional explorer hired by billionaire Charles Wayland to investigate the strange pyramid discovered beneath the surface of Antartica. What it boils down to is: it's still the wrong place and the wrong time to be there.
Lathan joins the previously announced Lance Henriksen (Charles Wayland) and the newly revealed cast members Ewen Bremmer and Raoul Bova. Shooting commences on October 28 in Prague. [Variety.]
October 30, 2003... That was quick of 20th Century Fox: the new teaser trailer for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR is now ready for download at Apple's website.
Since it is just a teaser, there's no real footage from Paul W. S. Anderson's movie to show you yet. Instead, we've got some close-ups of an Alien and a Predator over some creepy noises and a quick dissolve to the film's "Whoever wins...we lose" tagline.
(Oh, and there's a quick shot nabbed from the first PREDATOR film of the Predator pod descending down to Earth.)
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's where you can find the remaining 854: the AVP trailer download site.
Apple is also hosting a short featurette that features Anderson talking about his prep for the film. You can grab it from right here. It's worth the wait because it shows quite a number of pieces of pre-production artwork including Predators at an ancient pyramid on Earth; the last stand of a trio of Preds against a horde of thousands of Aliens; and a brief look at the modern day Antarctica location that Anderson will use for the setting of his film. Screen captures, anyone?
Finally, if you hop on over to Bloody Disgusting you will see a photo of the two teaser posters for the film. As always seems to be the case with these kinds of goodies, if they exist, someone's already got them for sale on eBay.
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR is scheduled to open on August 6, 2004.
November 13, 2003... Preparing himself to star in ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, actor Lance Henriksen spoke with Fangoria about the upcoming project. Henriksen, who first faced one-half of the extraterrestrial foes in James Cameron's ALIENS, let go a slight story spoiler that fans have wondered about ever since it was announced that he was cast in the picture.
"I don't play Bishop in this movie, I play the man who created him," the actor revealed to Fangoria. Henriksen plays Charles Wayland, a billionaire that shares one of the same surnames of the company that's been behind the human casualties in the first three ALIEN pictures, Wayland-Yutani. Ever since the name of Henriksen's character was announced, ALIEN fans have been wondering if Charles Wayland would be connected to the Weyland-Yutani corporation -- and if there was more to the casting of the same actor who played the part of the synthetic Bishop in ALIENS and one of the ruthless company's founders. Henriksen's revelation means there is more to this role, and his playing of it, than meets the eye.
You can read more about what Henriksen has hopes for the ALIEN VS. PREDATOR movie, as well as other roles in his future, by checking the Fangoria article out. [Fangoria.]
February 13, 2004... An anonymous scooper wrote in with a tip we looked into, and we got it confirmed: screenwriter Shane Salerno (SHAFT, ARMAGEDDON) will receive co-writer credit on ALIEN VS. PREDATOR. Previously we believed that the film's director, Paul W.S. Anderson, was the only credited writer on the project but it appears Salerno performed a rewrite on the script in its development process.
Salerno is also the writer of the latest GHOST RIDER movie script, still in development at Columbia Pictures. ALIEN VS. PREDATOR is still targeting an August 6 release. [Anonymous.]
March 9, 2004... If you need a new dose of duelling extraterrestrials, then you should be informed that Apple is hosting the exclusive internet trailer for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR. We've finally gotten our first looks at the Aliens, facehuggers, Predators and the human explorers in Paul W.S. Anderson's upcoming movie, plus some lightning quick peeks at the ancient Aztec temple where all the melee takes place. Not one spoken word is said but there's plenty of Predator growls and a few Alien hisses to be heard.
And you get to choose which size of trailer to watch it from. Click here to vamoose over to Apple's trailer park and select your favorite view.
UPDATE!: So where did the new AvsP trailer disappear to? If you're one of the many that are following our link to check it out, the internet trailer is gone and there's no mention of it on either Apple's website or the film's official website.
If you were one of the lucky ones, it looks like you saw something before someone at Fox was ready to release it.
SECOND UPDATE!: ...and it's back!
March 10, 2004... We'll have to file this one as a story spoiler, but it's just a small one: the Coming Soon team has published masks and accessories offered by Rubies Costume Company for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR. The photo on the CS site shows all sort of fine E.T. swag that you can buy like Alien and Predator hands, Predator blood and Alien and Predator head masks.
Here's the thing: if you see the Alien head mask, you'll probably be able to figure out what happens to one of Giger's beasties in the story -- but then, it might just build your expectations for the movie. [Coming Soon.]
April 7, 2004... The official website for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR has thrown up a second behind-the-scenes featurette, this time examining the crafting of the creatures for the film. In the short film we get to see Tom Woodruff, one of the principals at Amalgamated Dynamics, show us the making of several of the Predator weapons we'll see in the movie including variations of the shoulder-mounted plasma gun and retractible wrist blades. Woodruff also gives us a look at the "hero" Alien creature, a hydraulic, radio operated robot that he promises will deliver stunning action shots.
The featurette is available in three sizes (facehugger, warrior, queen) and you can watch it right here. [Official movie website.]
May 9, 2004... 20th Century Fox has provides us with new images from their upcoming lineup of summer movies including stills from ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY, GARFIELD and I, ROBOT.
Click on any of the photos above or below to see 'em super sized. [20th Century Fox.]
June 10, 2004... Dark Horse Comics has announced that they will publish a original companion comic story to this summer's ALIEN VS. PREDATOR film. Titled ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: THRILL OF THE HUNT, the 96-page graphic novel takes the story elements of Paul W.S. Anderson's film to create a new showdown between man, Alien and Predator. However, unlike Anderson's film (which is set present day), the action in THRILL OF THE HUNT takes place in the distant reaches of space, at a time when humanity is just getting back to the stars after a technological catastrophe plunged Earth into a second Dark Age. Even with such differences in time and setting between the two stories, Anderson's movie has a direct impact on the Dark Horse book even though the main characters from the film will be long dead by THRILL OF THE HUNT's era.
"Our story takes place a few hundred years in the future, as opposed to the contemporary setting of the film," explains writer Mike Kennedy. "Both stories will support and complement each other without giving each other's secrets away."
ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: THRILL OF THE HUNT is written by Mike Kennedy with art by Roger Robinson and a cover painting by David Michael Beck. It arrives on sale August 11 with a retail price of $6.95. 20th Century Fox's ALIEN VS. PREDATOR hits theaters two days later on August 13. [Dark Horse Comics.]
June 11, 2004... There's a new ALIEN VS. PREDATOR internet exclusive trailer.
It's got more Aliens.
More Predators.
More humans caught in the crossfire.
More explosions, more chestbursters, more gunfire, more carnage. And something new: heavy metal rock music. [Apple.com.]
June 16, 2004... There's another new trailer for Fox's ALIEN VS. PREDATOR available for download on Apple's website, and it's even better than the one that hit the 'net last week. This new preview presents more of the film's set-up: humans find mysterious pyramid buried under Antarctic ice, they go inside, and they start buying the farm from hostile ETs. There's lots of new scenes to watch the second time around frame-by-frame including some shots that now feature completed special effects (notice the Predators' plasma blasts striking Aliens on the pyramid sequence?)
Go check it out for yourself. [Official movie website.]
June 29, 2004... Last night two different kinds of extraterrestrials were sighted in the Long Beach, CA area and we're looking for eyewitness reports. No, there weren't any UFO landings or alien abductions (that we know of) but instead we were able to glean that 20th Century Fox held what we believe to be the first test screening of ALIEN VS. PREDATOR.
Already we've heard from one spectator that was on hand, and judging from their feedback the audience seemed to really dig the movie in a big way. Unfortunately, before the survivor could tell us more of what they saw they gave birth to a Chestburster, which pretty much ended the interview on the spot. So, if you were a) in the audience of last night's AvsP test screening, and b) are not presently coccooned or gestating an alien embryo, or your skull isn't on display somewhere inside an alien ship, we'd love to hear what you have to say about the picture. Be sure to include details about what you liked and could pass on, and what the crowd's reaction was to the film.
["The Voice of Mother."]
July 9, 2004... An international trailer for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR has surfaced on the website for the English tabloid The Sun. The trailer contains about 95% of the same footage seen in the domestic AvsP trailer but there is some new material in there, plus the international is cut to a different soundtrack than the domestic.
Click here to visit The Sun's download page where you'll be able to select the format and size of the trailer that you want. (And stay away from Page Three -- we know you'll look anyway.) [The Sun.]
August 5, 2004... Yahoo Movies has posted a one minute snippet from ALIEN VS. PREDATOR showing -- what else? -- an Alien and a Predator going at it...hard. The fighting prowess of both ETs is clearly shown in this teaser in a fight to the death somewhere inside the catacombs of the subterranean pyramid buried under Antarctic ice. Near the end of the clip look for the Predator to gain the upper hand and use the Alien's big head as a way to do some home renovations to the place. OW!
Click this bad boy out right here. We'll find out if the rest of ALIEN VS. PREDATOR is as fun as this snippet when the movie opens one week from tomorrow. [Yahoo]
August 10, 2004... We've been hearing rumors on the grape vine that it's going to be a race to finish work on ALIEN VS. PREDATOR in order for the film to meet its release date -- which is just three short days away from today. While it's not completely unusual (albeit stressful) for a studio to be working on a film right up to a few days before its release, there's also been rumors that the film may not make its August 13 release date at all and it would have to be rescheduled for a late August opening.
Call us crazy but those rumors sounded like make believe. The advertising campaign for ALIEN VS. PREDATOR that's currently running online and on television still lists the film as opening this coming Friday, and we're pretty certain that it will be playing in movie theaters by then. What is certain for the moment is that the film will not be ready in time for its movie premiere.
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR had been listed on the Mann Theaters website for a scheduled movie premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theater today, August 10. However, the listing has now vanished, and the scooper that sent us the news has informed us that the premiere has in fact been cancelled. Perhaps there might have been a kernel of truth to those rumors after all...
According to IESB, there certainly was. The movie website spoke with AvsP star Lance Henriksen who confirmed the Grauman's premiere had been cancelled due to the film's director, Paul W.S. Anderson, editing the film right until the final minute. Henriksen said that he's sure the film will be completed in time for its scheduled release on the 13th. We hope he's right.
[Scoop sent anonymously through a Weyland-Yutani proxy server.]
August 12, 2004... In anticipation of its imminent release, Apple's trailer website has added a new minute-long clip from ALIEN VS. PREDATOR featuring a confrontation between three humans, two Predators and one smart Alien. Saying more than that would reveal the surprise, so we won't.
Download the "Face Off" clip and choose your side. ALIEN VS. PREDATOR opens in theaters tomorrow. [Apple.]
After Its Release:
August 23, 2004... In AVP's second weekend at theaters the film fell a mammoth 67%, showing that the E.T. fight club match-up doesn't have the same kind of legs as cute-as-a-button Anne Hathaway in THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2. Maybe the two studios can come together and develop ALIEN VS. ANNE or THE PREDATOR DIARIES to unite the two audiences...
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