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{{Short description|1992 American film by David Fincher}}
{{about|the 1992 film|other uses|Alien 3 (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Alien 3
| image          = Alien3 poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[David Fincher]]
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* [[David Giler]]
* [[Walter Hill]]
* [[Larry Ferguson (screenwriter)|Larry Ferguson]]
}}
| story          = [[Vincent Ward (director)|Vincent Ward]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|[[List of Alien (film series) characters|Characters]]|[[Dan O'Bannon]]|[[Ronald Shusett]]}}
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Gordon Carroll]]
* David Giler
* Walter Hill
}}
| starring       = {{Plain list|
* [[Sigourney Weaver]]
* [[Charles S. Dutton]]
* [[Charles Dance]]
* [[Lance Henriksen]]
<!--NAMES ON THE FILM POSTER ONLY-->
}}
| cinematography = [[Alex Thomson (cinematographer)|Alex Thomson]]
| editing        = [[Terry Rawlings]]
| music          = [[Elliot Goldenthal]]
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* [[Brandywine Productions]]
}}
| distributor    = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released       = {{Film date|1992|05|22}}
| runtime        = 114 minutes<ref>{{cite web |url= https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/alien-3-1970-1 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141215192131/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/alien-3-1970-1 |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 15, 2014 |publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |title=ALIEN 3 |access-date=December 15, 2014}}</ref>
| country        = United States<!-- Do not add the United Kingdom. Per Template:Infobox film, the parameter is for "the home country or countries of the film's main production companies." Both 20th Century Fox and Brandywine Productions are American companies. It does not matter where the film was shot or the nationality of the actors or directors. -->
| language       = English
| budget         = $50–60 million<ref name="Mojo">{{cite web |url= https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=alien3.htm |title=Alien 3 (1992) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=December 15, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Numbers">{{cite web |url= https://the-numbers.com/movie/Alien-3#tab=summary |title=Alien 3&nbsp;– Box Office Data, DVD and Blu-ray Sales, Movie News, Cast and Crew Information |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=December 15, 2014}}</ref><ref name="AFI film-59175">{{AFI film|59175}}</ref>
| gross          = $159.8–180 million<ref name="Mojo" /><ref name="Foxclaim" /><ref name="vardec92" />
}}

'''''Alien 3''''' (stylized as '''''ALIEN<sup>3</sup>''''') is a 1992 American [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] [[horror film]] directed by [[David Fincher]] and written by [[David Giler]], [[Walter Hill]], and [[Larry Ferguson (screenwriter)|Larry Ferguson]], from a story by [[Vincent Ward (director)|Vincent Ward]]. Starring [[Sigourney Weaver]] reprising her role as [[Ellen Ripley]], it is the third installment of the [[Alien (franchise)|''Alien'' franchise]].

Set immediately after the events of ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986), Ripley and an [[Xenomorph (Alien franchise)|Alien organism]] are the only survivors of the Colonial Marine spaceship ''Sulaco'' following an escape pod's crash on a planet housing a penal colony populated by violent male inmates. Additional roles are played by [[Charles Dance]], [[Brian Glover]], [[Charles S. Dutton]], [[Ralph Brown]], [[Paul McGann]], [[Danny Webb (British actor)|Danny Webb]], [[Lance Henriksen]], [[Holt McCallany]], [[Pete Postlethwaite]], and Danielle Edmond. The film had a troubled production, facing numerous problems, including shooting without a script and the attachment of various screenwriters and directors. Fincher, in his [[List of directorial debuts|feature directorial debut]], was eventually brought in to direct after a proposed version with Ward as director was canceled during pre-production.

''Alien 3'' was released on May 22, 1992. While it underperformed at the American box office, it earned over $100&nbsp;million outside North America. The film received mixed reviews and was regarded as inferior to previous installments. Fincher has since disowned the film, deeming it unfaithful to his original vision due to studio interference. It was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]], seven [[Saturn Award]]s ([[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]], [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] for Weaver, [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] for Dutton, [[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Direction]] for Fincher, and [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]] for Giler, Hill, and Ferguson), a [[Hugo Award]] for [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]], and an [[MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence]]. A sequel, ''[[Alien Resurrection]]'', followed in 1997. In 2003, an extended and revised version of the film known as the [[#Assembly Cut|Assembly Cut]] was released without Fincher's involvement, which received a warmer reception.

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FilmPlot, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 and 700 words! -->
Shortly after the Colonial Marine spaceship ''Sulaco'' escapes the planet LV-426,{{efn|As depicted in ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986)}} an alien egg hatches on board, releasing a [[Alien (creature in Alien franchise)#Facehugger|facehugger]] that attacks the crew in [[Cryonics|cryonic]] [[stasis (fiction)|stasis]]. A fire starts and the ship's computer ejects an escape pod with [[Ellen Ripley]], "Newt" Jorden, [[Dwayne Hicks|Cpl. Hicks]], and the damaged [[Android (robot)|android]] [[Bishop (Aliens)|Bishop]] still in their stasis chambers. The pod crash-lands on Fiorina "Fury" 161, a [[foundry]] and maximum-security correctional facility inhabited by male inmates with a [[XYY syndrome|genetic predisposition for antisocial behavior]]. The inmates recover the crashed pod and its passengers. The facehugger approaches inmate Thomas Murphy's dog, Spike.
<!-- PLEASE NOTE: Do not change the plot summary to say that the alien comes from an "ox", "bull" or "cow" rather than a dog. In the theatrical version of the film, the alien comes from a dog. There are two different versions of the film. These differences are discussed in the section of this article titled "Special Edition DVD". -->

Ripley is awakened by Clemens, the prison's chief medical officer, who informs her that she is the sole survivor. The prison warden, Harold Andrews, says that her presence may have disruptive effects. Ripley insists that Clemens perform an [[autopsy]] on Newt and that her and Hicks's bodies be subsequently burned, fearing that Newt may be carrying an Alien embryo. Despite protests from the warden and his assistant Aaron, the autopsy is conducted and no embryo is found. The funeral proceeds with spiritual leader Dillon eulogizing the deceased as their bodies are dropped into the furnace. Elsewhere in the prison, a quadrupedal alien bursts from Spike.

Ripley finds the damaged Bishop in the prison's garbage dump before being cornered by four inmates and almost gang-raped. After being saved by Dillon, Ripley returns to the infirmary and re-activates Bishop, who, before asking to be permanently shut down, confirms that a Facehugger came with them to Fiorina, under knowledge of the [[Weyland-Yutani Corporation]]. Growing to full size, the alien kills Murphy, Boggs, and Rains. The shock returns outcast prisoner Golic to his previously psychopathic state. Ripley informs Andrews of her previous Xenomorph encounters{{efn|The Alien species is defined as "Xenomorph" within the previous film ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'', and is later referred to as "Xenomorph" by Ripley when she is sending an email to Weyland-Yutani.}} and suggests everyone work together to hunt down and kill it. However, the facility is without weapons; their only hope is the rescue ship being sent for Ripley by Weyland-Yutani.

The Alien ambushes Ripley and Clemens in the prison [[First aid room|infirmary]], killing him, and cornering her. However, it mysteriously spares her and retreats. Ripley rushes to the cafeteria to warn the others. Andrews orders Aaron to take her back to the infirmary, but the warden himself is dragged into the vents and killed by the Alien. Ripley rallies the inmates and proposes they pour flammable toxic waste into the ventilation system and ignite it to flush out the Alien. However, its intervention causes a premature explosion and several inmates die. With Aaron's help, Ripley scans herself using the escape pod's medical equipment and sees the embryo of an [[Alien Queen]] growing inside her. Upon this discovery, she realizes that there were two facehuggers on the ''Sulaco'', and that Weyland-Yutani plans on capturing the alien incubating inside of her in hopes of turning it into [[biological warfare|biological weapons]].

The Alien will not kill her because of the embryo she is carrying, so Ripley begs Dillon to do it; he agrees only if she helps the inmates kill the Alien first. They form a plan to lure the Alien into the foundry's molding facility, trap it, and drown it in molten [[lead]]. The bait-and-chase plan results in the deaths of every remaining prisoner but Dillon and Morse. Dillon sacrifices himself to position the Alien towards the mold as Morse pours the molten lead onto them. Although the Alien is covered in molten metal, it escapes the mold. Ripley activates the fire sprinklers, blowing the Alien apart from [[thermal shock]].

The Weyland–Yutani team arrives, including commandos and a man who looks identical to Bishop who says he is Bishop's creator.{{efn|Identified as "Michael Bishop Weyland" in tie-in materials.<ref name="Bishop2" /><ref name="Weyland-Yutani_Report" />}} He tries to persuade Ripley to undergo surgery to remove the Alien Queen embryo, claiming it will be destroyed. Ripley refuses and steps back onto a mobile platform, which Morse positions over the furnace. The Weyland–Yutani team shoots Morse in the leg to stop him; Aaron strikes the Bishop look-alike with a wrench and is shot dead by the commandos. Ignoring pleas to give them the embryo, Ripley throws herself into the furnace, holding captive the infant queen as it erupts from her. The facilities are closed down. Morse, the sole survivor, is led away as Ripley's final [[logbook]] recording from the ''Nostromo'' plays.

==Cast==
[[File:Sigourney Weaver 1989 Academy Awards (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Sigourney Weaver]] reprised her role as [[Ellen Ripley]]]]
{{see also|List of Alien (franchise) characters}}
* [[Sigourney Weaver]] as [[Ellen Ripley]], reprising her role from the previous two ''Alien'' films. Ripley crash-lands on Fiorina 161 and is once again burdened with the task of destroying another of the alien creatures. Weaver approved of David Twohy's script and signed on, but demanded a larger salary of $4–5&nbsp;million, plus co-producing credit. She also requested for the action not to rely on guns.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Charles S. Dutton]] as Leonard Dillon, one of Fiorina's inmates who functions as the spiritual and de facto leader amongst the prisoners and attempts to keep the peace in the facility.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Charles Dance]] as Jonathan Clemens, a former inmate who now serves as the facility's doctor.<ref name="AFI film-59175" /> He treats Ripley after her escape pod crashes at the start of the film and forms a special bond with her. Before he is killed by the Alien, Clemens laments to Ripley why he was originally sent to Fiorina, describing it as "more than a little melodramatic". Fincher initially offered the role to [[Richard E. Grant]], hoping to reunite him with ''[[Withnail and I]]'' co-stars Ralph Brown and Paul McGann.<ref name="wreckage" />
* [[Brian Glover]] as Harold Andrews, the prison warden. He believes Ripley's presence will cause disruption amongst the inmates and attempts to control the rumors surrounding her and the creature. He rejects her claims about the existence of such a creature, only to be killed by it.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Ralph Brown]] as Francis Aaron, the assistant of Superintendent Andrews. The prisoners refer to him by the nickname "85", after his [[Intelligence quotient|IQ]] score, which annoys him. He opposes Ripley's insistence that the prisoners must try to fight the Alien, and repudiates her claim that Weyland–Yutani will collect the alien instead of them.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Paul McGann]] as Walter Golic. A mass-murderer and outcast amongst the prison population, Golic becomes very disturbed after being assaulted by the Alien in the prison's underground network of tunnels, gradually becoming more and more obsessed with the Alien. In the Assembly Cut of the film, his obsession with and defense of the creature lead to murder and his own demise, and his actions jeopardize the entire plan.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Danny Webb (British actor)|Danny Webb]] as Robert Morse, an acerbic, self-centered, and cynical prisoner. Albeit wounded by the Weyland–Yutani team, Morse is the only survivor from the entire Fiorina 161 population (including Ripley).<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Lance Henriksen]] as the voice of the damaged [[Bishop (Aliens)|Bishop]] android, as well as a character credited as Bishop II. He appears in the film's final scenes, claiming to be the human designer of the Bishop android, and wants the Alien Queen that was growing inside Ripley for use in Weyland-Yutani's bioweapons division.<ref name="AFI film-59175" /> The character is named as "Michael Bishop Weyland" in certain tie-in materials.<ref name="Bishop2">{{Cite web |last=Dillon |first=Bryant |date=April 26, 2018 |title=#AlienDay 2018: 'Alien 3' - Who is Bishop II? |url= https://fanbasepress.com/index.php/press/editorials/item/8779-alienday-2018-alien-3-who-is-bishop-ii |access-date=January 16, 2023 |website=Fanbase Press}}</ref><ref name="Weyland-Yutani_Report">{{Cite book |last=Perry |first=S. D. |title=Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-60887-866-6 |publisher=Insight Editions |location=San Rafael, California |oclc=949024244}}</ref>
* [[Tom Woodruff Jr.]] as the Alien known as [[Alien (creature in Alien franchise)#"Dragon"|"Dragon"]].<ref name="A3DVD">Alien<sup>3</sup> audio commentary, Alien Quadrilogy boxset</ref> This Alien is different from the ones in previous installments due to its host being quadrupedal (a dog in the theatrical cut, an ox in the assembly cut). Initially a [[visual effects]] supervisor, Woodruff decided to take the role of the creature after his company, Amalgamated Dynamics, was hired by Fox.<ref name="fright">{{cite web |date=December 2007 |title=Tom Woodruff, Jr. interview |url= http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Woodruff.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081203172807/http://www.iconsoffright.com/IV_Woodruff.htm |archive-date=December 3, 2008 |access-date=January 16, 2023 |website=Icons of Fright}}</ref> Woodruff said that, following Sigourney Weaver's advice, he approaches the role as an actor instead of a stuntman, trying to make his performance more than "just a guy in a suit". He considered the acting process "as much physical as it is mental".<ref name="shock">{{cite web |url= http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=5626 |title=Interview: Amalgamated Dynamics' Tom Woodruff, Jr. |work=Shock Till You Drop |date=April 14, 2008 |access-date=October 12, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080920133402/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=5626 |archive-date=September 20, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Pete Postlethwaite]] as David Postlethwaite, an inmate smarter than most who is killed by the Alien in the bait-and-chase sequence.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Holt McCallany]] as Junior, the leader of the group of inmates who attempt to rape Ripley. He has a tattoo of a tear drop underneath his right eye. In the Assembly Cut, he sacrifices himself to trap the Alien as redemption.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* [[Peter Guinness (actor)|Peter Guinness]] as Peter Gregor, one of the inmates who attempts to rape Ripley; he is bitten in the neck and killed by the Alien during the bait-and-chase sequence.<ref name="AFI film-59175" />
* Danielle Edmond as Rebecca "Newt" Jorden,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bcd25e9f2 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230129194846/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bcd25e9f2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |title=Danielle Edmond BFI |work=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=January 29, 2023}}</ref> the child Ripley forms a maternal bond with in the previous film who briefly returns as a corpse being autopsied. Carrie Henn, the original actress, was unable to reprise the role due to her age so Danielle Edmond took over the part for the brief shots of Newt in her cryotube and the later autopsy scene with her corpse.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://screenrant.com/alien-3-movie-newt-autopsy-uncut-horrific-scene/ |title=Alien 3 Originally Had A Newt Scene That Went Way Too Far |first=Padraig |last=Cotter |work=[[Screen Rant]] |date=November 6, 2022 |accessdate=May 22, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221118074908/https://screenrant.com/alien-3-movie-newt-autopsy-uncut-horrific-scene/ |archive-date=November 18, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Christopher Fairbank]] as Thomas Murphy.<ref name="BFI Alien3">[https://web.archive.org/web/20170531035432/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7a6efb05 ''Alien 3''] at the [[British Film Institute]]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}</ref>
* [[Phil Davis (actor)|Phil Davis]] as Kevin Dodd.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* [[Vincenzo Nicoli]] as Alan Jude.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* [[Leon Herbert]] as Edward Boggs.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* [[Niall Buggy]] as Eric Buggy.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* Hi Ching as Company Man.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* Carl Chase as Frank Ellis.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* [[Clive Mantle]] as Clive William.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* [[DeObia Oparei]] as Arthur Walkingstick.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />
* Paul Brennen as Yoshi Troy.<ref name="BFI Alien3" />

An archive picture of [[Michael Biehn]] as [[Dwayne Hicks|Corporal Dwayne Hicks]] appears.<ref name="RemarEmpire">{{cite web |url= https://empireonline.com/features/aliens-colonial-marines-profiles/2.asp |title=''Aliens'': The Colonial Marines |website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120312075023/https://www.empireonline.com/features/aliens-colonial-marines-profiles/2.asp |archive-date=March 12, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="THRBiehn">{{cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |title="Everything Had To Go Right": What Happened to 'Terminator' Star Michael Biehn |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-what-happened-star-michael-biehn-1228634 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=August 2, 2019 |access-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200819182539/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-what-happened-star-michael-biehn-1228634 |archive-date=August 19, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Production==

===Development===
With the success of ''Aliens'', [[20th Century Fox]] approached [[Brandywine Productions]] on further sequels. But Brandywine was less than enthused with an ''Alien 3'' project, with producer [[David Giler]] later explaining he and partners [[Walter Hill (director)|Walter Hill]] and [[Gordon Carroll]] wanted to take new directions as "we wouldn't do a repeat of one and two". The trio opted to explore the duplicity of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and why they were so intent in using the [[Alien (creature in Alien franchise)|Aliens]] as [[Biological warfare|biological weapons]].<ref name="wreckage">{{cite video |title=Wreckage and Rage: The Making of Alien 3 |work=Alien Anthology |at=disk 5 |medium=Blu-ray |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |date=2010}}</ref> Various concepts were discussed, eventually settling on a two-part story, with the [[film treatment|treatment]] for the third film featuring "the underhanded Weyland–Yutani Corporation facing off with a militarily aggressive culture of humans whose rigid socialist ideology has caused them to separate from Earth's society." [[Michael Biehn]]'s [[Dwayne Hicks|Corporal Hicks]] would be promoted to protagonist in the third film, with Sigourney Weaver's character of [[Ellen Ripley]] reduced to a cameo appearance before returning in the fourth installment, "an epic battle with alien warriors mass-produced by the expatriated Earthlings." Weaver liked the [[Cold War]] metaphor, and agreed to a smaller role,<ref name="bald">{{cite journal |url= http://www.michaelbiehn.co.uk/gallery/displayimage.php?album=593&pid=21866#top_display_media |title=Bald Ambition |journal=Cinescape |date=November 1997 |access-date=September 4, 2008}}</ref> particularly due to a dissatisfaction with Fox, which removed scenes from ''Aliens'' crucial to Ripley's backstory.<ref name="last">{{cite magazine |url= https://ew.com/article/1992/05/29/sigourney-weaver-talks-about-alien3/ |title=Last in Space |date=May 29, 1992 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=October 12, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081013103926/https://ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C310615%2C00.html |archive-date=October 13, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|2}}
{{quote box|quote="I felt that Ripley was going to become a burden to the story ... There are only so many aspects to that character you can do."|source=Sigourney Weaver, concerning the future of Ripley.<ref name="bald" />|width=35%|align=right}}

Although Fox was skeptical about the idea, they agreed to finance the development of the story, but asked that Hill and Giler attempt to get [[Ridley Scott]], director of ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'', to make ''Alien 3''. They also asked that the two films be shot back to back to lessen the production costs. While Scott was interested in returning to the franchise, it did not work out due to the director's busy schedule.<ref name="bald" />

===William Gibson script===
In September 1987, Giler and Hill approached [[cyberpunk]] author [[William Gibson]] to write the script for the third film. Gibson, who told the producers his writing was influenced by ''Alien'', accepted the task. Fearful of [[1988 Writers Guild of America strike|an impending strike]] by the [[Writers Guild of America, West|Writers Guild of America]], Brandywine asked Gibson to deliver a screenplay by December.<ref name="bald" /> Gibson drew heavily from Giler and Hill's treatment, having a strong interest in the "Marxist space empire" element.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/blog/2003_09_01_archive.asp#106243398206019606 |title=William Gibson talks about the script |work=WilliamGibsonBooks.com |access-date=December 18, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061230140902/http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/blog/2003_09_01_archive.asp#106243398206019606 |archive-date=December 30, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The following year, Finnish director [[Renny Harlin]] was approached by Fox based on his work in ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master]]''.<ref>{{cite web |first=Luke |last=Savage |url= https://denofgeek.com/movies/alien/14416/renny-harlin-interview-12-rounds-die-hard-and-the-alien-3-that-never-was |title=Renny Harlin interview: 12 Rounds, Die Hard, and the Alien 3 that never was |date=May 27, 2009 |website=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=November 15, 2016}}</ref> Harlin wanted to go in different directions from the first two movies, having interest in both visiting the Alien homeworld or having the Aliens invading Earth.<ref name="wreckage" />

Gibson mockingly summed up his script as "Space commies hijack alien eggs—big problem in Mallworld".<ref name="bald" /> The story picked up after ''Aliens'', with the ''Sulaco'' drifting into an area of space claimed by the "Union of Progressive Peoples". The ship is boarded by people from the UPP, who are attacked by a facehugger hiding in the entrails of Bishop's mangled body. The soldiers blast the facehugger into space and take Bishop with them for further study. The ''Sulaco'' then arrives at a space station–shopping mall hybrid named Anchorpoint. With Ripley put in a coma, Hicks explores the station and discovers Weyland-Yutani are developing an Alien army. In the meantime, the UPP are doing their own research, which led them to repair Bishop. Eventually Anchorpoint and the UPP stations are overrun with the Aliens, and Hicks must team up with the survivors to destroy the parasites. The film ends with a teaser for a fourth movie, where Bishop suggests to Hicks that humans are united against a common enemy, and they must track the Aliens to their source and destroy them.<ref name="bald" />

The screenplay was very action-oriented, featuring an extended cast, and is considered in some circles as superior to the final film and has a considerable following on the Internet.<ref name="about">{{cite web |url= http://horror.about.com/od/horrorthemelists/ss/Greatest-Horror-Movies-Never-Made_5.htm |title=10 of the Greatest Horror Movies Never Made |first=Mark H. |last=Harris |work=Horror.[[About.com]] |access-date=June 2, 2012 |archive-date=April 6, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150406222322/http://horror.about.com/od/horrorthemelists/ss/Greatest-Horror-Movies-Never-Made_5.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> The producers were on the whole unsatisfied with the screenplay, which Giler described as "a perfectly executed script that wasn't all that interesting",<ref name="wreckage" /> particularly for not taking new directions with the initial pitch. They still liked certain parts, such as the subtext making the Alien a metaphor for [[HIV]], but felt it lacking the human element present in ''Aliens'' and Gibson's trademark cyberpunk aesthetic. Following the end of the WGA strike, Gibson was asked to make rewrites with Harlin, but declined, citing various other commitments and "foot dragging on the producers' part."<ref name="bald" /> On July 12, 2018, it was announced that William Gibson's unmade screenplay of ''Alien 3'' would be adapted into a comic series.<ref name="staley">{{cite web |last1=Staley |first1=Brandon |title=William Gibson's Unproduced Alien 3 Script to be Adapted by Dark Horse |url= https://www.cbr.com/william-gibson-alien-3-comic-book-series/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]] |access-date=September 24, 2019 |date=July 12, 2018}}</ref> As part of ''Alien''{{'}}s 40th anniversary, on May 30, 2019, a [[Alien 3 (podcast)|full-cast audio drama]] of William Gibson's unproduced screenplay of ''Alien 3'' was released and made available on [[Audible (store)|Audible]], with both Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen reprising their film-roles.<ref name="starburst" /> Both are based on the second draft. 2021 saw another adaptation of the screenplay, this time as a novel written by [[Pat Cadigan]] from [[Titan Books]]<ref name="cadigan" /> and based instead on the first draft.

===Eric Red script===
Following Gibson's departure, Harlin suggested screenwriter [[Eric Red]], writer of the cult horror films ''[[The Hitcher (1986 film)|The Hitcher]]'' and ''[[Near Dark]]''. Red worked less than two months to deliver his draft in February 1989,<ref name="bald" /> which led him to later describe his ''Alien 3'' work as "the one script I completely disown because it was not 'my script'. It was the rushed product of too many story conferences and interference with no time to write, and turned out utter crap."<ref>{{cite web |author=Clint |url= http://moviehole.net/201024765-caffeinated-clint-back-in-the-red |title=Q&A with Eric Red |work=Movie Hole |access-date=November 15, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160822090314/http://moviehole.net/201024765-caffeinated-clint-back-in-the-red |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His approach had a completely new set of characters and subplots, while also introducing new breeds of the Alien.<ref name="bald" /> The plot opened with a team of Special Forces marines boarding the ''Sulaco'' and finding that all survivors had fallen victim to the aliens. Afterwards, it moved into a small-town U.S. city in a type of bio-dome in space, culminating in an all-out battle with the townsfolk facing hordes of Alien warriors. Brandywine rejected Red's script for deviating too much from their story, and eventually gave up on developing two sequels simultaneously.<ref name="bald" />

===David Twohy script===
Writer [[David Twohy]] was next to work on the project, being instructed to start with Gibson's script. Once the [[Revolutions of 1989|fall of Communism]] made the Cold War analogies outdated, Twohy changed his setting to a prison planet, which was being used for illegal experiments on the aliens for biological warfare.<ref name="bald" /> Harlin felt this approach was too similar to the previous movies, and, tired of the [[development hell]], walked out on the project, which led Fox to offer Harlin ''[[The Adventures of Ford Fairlane]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bibbiani |first=William |date=August 17, 2011 |title=Interview: Renny Harlin on '5 Days of War' |work=[[CraveOnline|Crave]] |url= http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/172837-interview-renny-harlin-on-5-days-of-war |access-date=August 4, 2016}}</ref>

Twohy's script was delivered to Fox president [[Joe Roth]], who did not like the idea of Ripley being removed, declaring that "Sigourney Weaver is the centerpiece of the series" and Ripley was "really the only female warrior we have in our movie mythology".<ref name="Jolin" /> Weaver was then called, with a reported $4&nbsp;million salary, plus a share of the box office receipts.<ref name="last" />{{rp|1}} She also requested the story to be suitably impressive, original, and non-dependent on guns. Twohy duly set about writing Ripley into his screenplay.<ref name="Jolin" />

===Start-up with Vincent Ward===
Once Hill attended a screening of ''[[The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey]]'', he decided to invite its director, [[Vincent Ward (director)|Vincent Ward]]. Ward, who was in London developing ''[[Map of the Human Heart]]'',<ref name="bald" /> accepted the project only on the third call, as he at first was uninterested in doing a sequel. Ward thought little of the Twohy script, and instead worked up another idea, involving Ripley's escape pod crash landing on a monastery-like satellite. Having developed this pitch on his flight to Los Angeles, once Ward got with the studio executives he saw his idea approved by the studio. Ward was hired to direct ''Alien 3'', and writer John Fasano was hired to expand his story into a screenplay.<ref name="wreckage" /> Once Twohy discovered through a journalist friend that another script was being written concurrently with his, he went after Fox and eventually left the project.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stovall |first=Ada |date=September 24, 2013 |title=Riddick's David Twohy |url= http://creativescreenwriting.com/david-twohy-is-a-hard-working-man/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131002060152/http://creativescreenwriting.com/david-twohy-is-a-hard-working-man/ |archive-date=October 2, 2013 |access-date=August 4, 2016 |website=Creative Screenwriting}}</ref>

Ward envisioned a planet whose interior was both wooden and archaic in design, where [[Luddite]]-like monks would take refuge. The story begins with a monk who sees a "star in the East" (Ripley's escape pod) and at first believes this to be a good omen. Upon arrival of Ripley, and with increasing suggestions of the Alien presence, the monk inhabitants believe it to be some sort of religious trial for their misdemeanors, punishable by the creature that haunts them. By having a woman in their monastery, they wonder if their trial is partially caused by sexual temptation, as Ripley is the only woman to be amongst the all-male community in ten years. To avoid this belief and (hopefully) the much grimmer reality of what she has brought with her, the monks of the "wooden satellite" lock Ripley into a dungeon-like sewer and ignore her advice on the true nature of the beast.<ref>vincentwardfilms.com, Alien 3 Unrequited Vision, retrieved on 2009:10:30 http://vincentwardfilms.com/project/concepts/alien-3/unrequited-visio/</ref> The monks believe that the Alien is in fact the Devil. Primarily though, this story was about Ripley's own soul-searching complicated by the seeding of the Alien within her and further hampered by her largely solo attempts to defeat it. Eventually Ripley decides to sacrifice herself to kill the Alien. Fox asked for an alternative ending in which Ripley survived, but Weaver would agree to the film only if Ripley died.<ref name="wreckage" />

''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine described Ward's 'Wooden Planet' concept as 'undeniably attractive—it would have been visually arresting and at the very least, could have made for some astonishing action sequences.' In the same article, [[Norman Reynolds]]—the production designer originally hired by Ward—remembers an early design idea for "a wooden library shaft. You looked at the books on this wooden platform that went up and down". 'Imagine the kind of vertical jeopardy sequence that could have been staged here—the Alien clambering up these impossibly high bookshelves as desperate monks work the platform'.<ref name="Jolin">{{cite journal |last=Jolin |first=Dan |url= https://empireonline.com/features/alien-3-tale-of-the-wooden-planet/ |title=Backstory Alien III – Alien: Reinvented |journal=Empire |date=December 2008 |pages=150–156 |access-date=November 15, 2019 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924051949/http://www.empireonline.com/features/alien-3-tale-of-the-wooden-planet/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|156}} Sigourney Weaver described Ward's overall concept as "very original and arresting".<ref name="Jolin" />{{rp|153}} Former ''[[The Times|Times]]'' journalist David Hughes included Ward's version of ''Alien 3'' amongst "The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made" in his book of this title.<ref>{{Cite book |isbn=978-1556524493 |title=The Greatest Sci-fi Movies Never Made |last1=Hughes |first1=David |date=2001 |publisher=A Cappella Books |url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/greatestscifimov0000hugh}}</ref>

However, the concept was divisive among the production crew. The producers at Brandywine discussed the logical problems of creating and maintaining a wooden planet in space, while Fox executive [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]] considered Ward's vision to be "more on the artsy-fartsy side than on the big commercial side" that Ridley Scott and James Cameron employed. Ward managed to dissuade the producers of their idea of turning the planet into an ore refinery and the monks into prisoners, but eventually Fox asked for a meeting with the director imposing a list of changes to be made. Refusing to do so, Ward was fired. The main plot of the finished film still follows Ward's basic structure.<ref name="wreckage" />

===Walter Hill and David Giler's script===
Hill and Giler did a first draft trying to enhance the story structure on the Fasano script, and feeling creatively drained, hired [[Larry Ferguson (screenwriter)|Larry Ferguson]] as a [[script doctor]]. Ferguson's work was not well received in the production, particularly by Sigourney Weaver, who felt Ferguson made Ripley sound like "a pissed-off gym teacher". Short on time before filming was due to commence, Hill and Giler took control of the screenplay themselves, melding aspects of the Ward/Fasano script with Twohy's earlier prison planet screenplay to create the basis of the final film.<ref name="bald" /> Sigourney Weaver had also had a clause written into her contract stating the final draft should be written by Hill and Giler, believing that they were the only writers (besides James Cameron) to write the character of Ripley effectively.<ref name="wreckage" /> Fox approached music video director [[David Fincher]] to replace Ward.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Pearce |first=Garth |date=1991 |title=Alien3: Set Visit To A Troubled Sequel |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |url= https://empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1102 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150703222946/https://empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1102 |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Fincher did further work on the screenplay with author [[Rex Pickett]], and despite Pickett being fired and Hill and Giler writing the final draft of the screenplay, he revised most of the work done by the previous authors.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Knapp |editor1-first=Laurence F. |last=Richardson |first=John H. |date=2014 |title=David Fincher: Interviews |series=Conversations with Filmmakers Series |chapter=Mother from Another Planet |page=23 |location=Jackson |publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] |isbn=978-1-628460-36-0}}</ref> Fincher wanted [[Gary Oldman]] to star in the film, but the pair "couldn't work it out".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-david-fincher |title=Interview: David Fincher |last=Rebello |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Rebello |date=September 16, 2014 |website=[[Playboy]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140917030311/http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-david-fincher |access-date=December 16, 2019 |archive-date=September 17, 2014}}</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:Blast Beach (37391466).jpeg|thumb|Blast Beach near [[Dawdon]] in England was used for exterior shots of the planet ''Fiorina "Fury" 161''.]]
Filming began on January 14, 1991, at [[Pinewood Studios]] without a finished script and with $7&nbsp;million already having been spent.<ref name="last" />{{rp|3}} While a majority of the film was shot at Pinewood, some scenes were shot at [[Blyth Power Station]] and the beach near [[Dawdon]] (known locally as "the Blast" or "Blast Beach") in the UK.<ref name="sine_project">{{cite web |title=Structure details |work=SINE Project (Structural Images of the North East) |publisher=[[Newcastle University]] |url= http://www.sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=301 |access-date=June 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080312201030/http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=301 |archive-date=March 12, 2008}}</ref> The purpose of these shots was to show the exterior of the planet.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://wtfdvds.com/all-dvds-1/alien-3-workprint-1992-dvd-43.html |title=Alien 3 Workprint (1992) DVD |access-date=January 20, 2009 |work=WTFDVDs |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090123184215/http://wtfdvds.com/all-dvds-1/alien-3-workprint-1992-dvd-43.html <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=January 23, 2009}}</ref> [[Cinematographer]] [[Jordan Cronenweth]], in deteriorating health following a diagnosis of [[Parkinsons Disease]] a decade earlier<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Dmc1EAAAQBAJ&dq=jordan+cronenweth+parkinson%27s+blade+runner&pg=PT37 |title=Ridley Scott: A Biography |isbn=978-0-8131-7711-3 |last1=Lobrutto |first1=Vincent |date=May 17, 2019 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref> worked only for two weeks before becoming too ill to continue. He was replaced by [[Alex Thomson (cinematographer)|Alex Thomson]].<ref>''Wreckage and Rage: The Making of Alien 3 – Stasis Interrupted: David Fincher's Vision'' and ''The Downward Spiral: Fincher vs. Fox'' (''Alien 3 Collector's Edition'' DVD)</ref> Actor [[Charles Dance]] said that an alternative ending had been filmed due to fears that the original ending was too similar to the ending of ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'', released the previous year, but was not used.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kermode |first=Mark |date=June 1992 |title=Dances with Aliens |url= https://archive.org/details/Fangoria_113/page/n37?q=Alien+3 |journal=[[Fangoria]] |issue=113 |pages=36–39 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

===Visual effects===
[[Stan Winston]], responsible for creature effects in ''Aliens'', was approached but was not available. Winston instead recommended Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis, two former workers of his studio who had just started their own company, [[Amalgamated Dynamics]].<ref name="fright" /> Even before principal photography had begun, the practical effects crew was developing models of the Alien and the corpses of the ''Sulaco'' victims. [[Richard Edlund]]'s [[Boss Film Studios]] was hired for [[compositing]] and other post-production effects.<ref name="wreckage" /> A small number of shots contain [[computer-generated imagery]], most notably the cracking alien head once the sprinklers cause thermal shock. Other CGI elements include shadows cast by the rod puppet alien, and airborne debris in outdoor scenes.<ref name="Visual Effects" />

David Fincher wanted the alien to be, "more of a puma, or a beast" as opposed to the upright, humanoid posture of the previous films, so the designer of the original alien, [[H. R. Giger]], was contacted to generate new sketch ideas. His revisions included longer, thinner legs, the removal of "pipes" around the spine, and an idea for a sharp alien "tongue" in place of the secondary jaws. Working from his studio in Zurich, Giger produced these new sketches which he faxed to Cornelius de Fries who then created their model counterparts out of [[plasticine]].<ref name="xeno">{{cite video |title=Xeno-Erotic: The H.R. Giger Redesign" |medium=DVD |work=Alien Quadrilogy |volume=''Alien 3'' bonus disc |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |date=2003}}</ref> The only one of Giger's designs that wound up in the final project was a "Bambi Burster" Alien that had long legs and walked on all fours. ADI also built a full-scale [[Bunraku]]-style puppet of this design which was operated on-set as an in-camera effect. Scenes using this approach were cut from the final release due to the limitations of chemical compositing techniques, making it exceedingly difficult to remove the puppeteers from the background plate, but can be seen in the "Assembly Cut" of the film.<ref name="optical" />

The Alien is portrayed by both Woodruff Jr. in a suit and a [[Rod puppets|rod puppet]] filmed against [[Chroma key|bluescreen]] and optically [[Compositing|composited]] into the live-action footage, with the rods removed by [[rotoscoping]]. A mechanical alien head was also used for [[close-up]]s.<ref name="Visual Effects">{{cite video |people=Fredrick Garvin (Director) |title=The Making of Alien 3 |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |date=2003}}</ref> The suit adapted the design used in ''Aliens'' so Woodruff could walk on all fours.<ref name="fright" /> Woodruff's head was contained in the neck of the suit, because the head was filled with [[animatronics]] to move the mouth of the Alien.<ref name="shock" /> Fincher suggested that a [[Whippet]] be dressed in an alien costume for on-set [[Camera coverage|coverage]] of the [[Quadrupedalism|quadrupedal]] alien, but the visual effects team was dissatisfied with the comical result and the idea was dropped in favor of the puppet.<ref name="Visual Effects" />

The rod-puppet approach was chosen for the production rather than [[stop motion|stop-motion animation]], which did not provide the required smoothness to appear realistic. As a result, the rod-puppet allowed for a fast alien that could move across surfaces of any orientation and be shot from any angle.<ref name="optical">{{cite video |people=David Fincher (Director) |work=Alien Quadrilogy |volume=''Alien 3'' bonus disc |title=Optical Fury |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |date=2003}}</ref> This was particularly effective as it was able to accomplish movements not feasible by an actor in a suit. The {{frac|1|3}}-scale puppet was 40 inches long and cast in foam rubber over a bicycle chain armature for flexibility.<ref name="imagi">{{cite journal |date=1994 |title=H.R. Giger |journal=Imagi-Movies Magazine |volume=1 |issue=3}}</ref> For moving camera shots, the on-set cameras were equipped with digital recorders to track, pan, tilt, and dolly values. The data output was then taken back to the studio and fed into the motion control cameras with the linear dimensions scaled down to match the puppet.<ref name="optical" />

To make syncing the puppet's actions with the live-action shots easier, the effects team developed an instant compositing system using [[LaserDisc]]. This allowed takes to be quickly overlaid on the background plate so the crew could observe whether any spatial adjustments were required.<ref name="optical" />

Laine Liska was hired to lead a team of puppeteers in a new process dubbed "Mo-Motion" where the rod puppet would be simultaneously manipulated and filmed with a moving [[motion control photography|motion control camera]].<ref name="optical" /> Depending on the complexity of the shot, the puppet was operated by 4–6 people.<ref name="imagi" /> Sparse sets were created to provide freedom of motion for the puppeteers as well as large, solid surfaces for the puppet to act within a three dimensional space.<ref name="optical" />

The crew was pushed to make the movements of the Alien as quick as possible to the point where they were barely in control, and this led to, according to Edlund, "the occasional serendipitous action that made the alien have a character". The ease of this setup allowed the crew to film 60–70 takes of a single scene.<ref name="optical" />

Hoping to give the destroyed Bishop a more complex look that could not be accomplished by simple make-up, the final product was done entirely through animatronics, while a playback of Lance Henriksen's voice played to guide Sigourney Weaver.<ref name="wreckage" />

Scenes of the Emergency Escape Vehicle were shot with a 3.5-foot [[scale model|miniature]] against a blue-screen and composited onto large scale traditional [[matte painting]]s of the planet's surface. To make the clouds glow from within as the EEV entered the atmosphere, the painting's values were digitally reversed and animated frame by frame. The scene in which the EEV is moved by a crane-arm (also a miniature) was created by projecting a video of actors onto pieces of cardboard and then compositing them into the scene as silhouettes against the matte-painted background.<ref name="optical" />

==Music==
{{main|Alien 3 (soundtrack)}}
The film's composer, [[Elliot Goldenthal]], spent a year composing the score by working closely with Fincher to create music based primarily on the surroundings and atmosphere of the film itself. The score was recorded during the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]], which Goldenthal later claimed contributed to the score's disturbing nature.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Music, Editing and Sound |volume=''Alien 3'' bonus disc |work=Alien Quadrilogy |medium=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |date=2003}}</ref>

==Release==
===Home media===
''Alien 3'' has been released in various [[home video]] formats and packages over the years. The first of these were on [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]], and several subsequent VHS releases were sold both singly and as [[box set|boxed sets]] throughout the 1990s. A VHS boxed set titled ''The Alien Trilogy'' containing ''Alien 3'' along with ''Alien'' and ''Aliens'' was released in [[Alien (creature in Alien franchise)|facehugger]]-shaped carrying cases, and included some of the deleted scenes from the LaserDisc editions. In 1997, ''Alien 3'' would premiere on a [[THX]] certified widescreen VHS release, along with its predecessors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Seeber |first=Ken |url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-aliens-released/98855854/ |title='Alien'(s) released in Widescreen Series |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240126154255/https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-aliens-released/98855854/ |date=December 4, 1997 |access-date=January 26, 2024 |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |page=20 |work=[[The Southern Illinoisan]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> When ''Alien Resurrection'' premiered in theaters that year, another boxed set of the first three films was released titled ''The Alien Saga'', which included a ''Making of Alien Resurrection'' tape. A few months later, this set was re-released with the ''Alien Resurrection'' film taking the place of the making-of video. In 1999, ''Alien 3'' was released on [[DVD-Video|DVD]], both singly and packaged with the other three ''Alien'' films as ''The Alien Legacy'' boxed set. This set was also released in a VHS version and would be the last VHS release of the film. In 2003, ''Alien 3'' would be included in the 9-disc ''Alien Quadrilogy'' DVD set which contained two versions of the film (see below). The first three films were also later packaged as the ''Alien Triple Pack'' DVD set (this release was identical to the 1999 ''Alien Legacy'' set but excluding ''Alien Resurrection''). ''Alien 3'' was first released on [[Blu-ray]] in 2010, as part of the 6-disc ''Alien Anthology'' boxed set which included all of the features from the ''Alien Quadrilogy'' DVD set and more. The film was also released as a single Blu-ray Disc in 2011. Fincher was the only director from the franchise who declined to participate in the box-set releases.<ref name="Vox" />

The bonus disc for ''Alien 3'' in the 2003 ''Quadrilogy'' set includes a documentary of the film's production that lacks Fincher's participation, as clips where the director openly expresses anger and frustration with the studio were cut.<ref name="Vox" /><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.thedigitalbits.com/site_archive/reviews3/alienquad06.html |first=Bill |last=Hunts |title=Criticism of Bonus Disc |work=The Digital Bits |access-date=January 15, 2013}}</ref> The documentary was originally named ''Wreckage and Rape'' after one of the tracks of Goldenthal's soundtrack, but Fox renamed it simply ''The Making of Alien 3''. These clips were restored for the 2010 Blu-ray release of the ''Anthology'' set, with the integral documentary having a slightly altered version of the intended name, ''Wreckage and Rage''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Latchem |first=John |date=July 22, 2010 |title=Blu-ray Producers: Extras Are for the Fans, By Fans |work=[[Home Media Magazine]] |url= http://www.homemediamagazine.com/comic-con/blu-ray-producers-extras-are-fans-by-fans-20107 |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161003124436/http://www.homemediamagazine.com/comic-con/blu-ray-producers-extras-are-fans-by-fans-20107 |archive-date=October 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Assembly Cut===
When Fox wanted to assemble a director's cut of ''Alien 3'' for a home-video release, Fincher refused to participate. Instead, an extended cut called the "Assembly Cut" was created based on his editing room notes and released on the 2003 ''Alien Quadrilogy'' DVD box set, overseen by producer [[Charles de Lauzirika]]. This version of the film runs 144 minutes, and includes over 30 minutes of extended, alternate, and previously deleted scenes, as well as alternative key plot elements. One example of the plot differences is that in the theatrical version, the Alien bursts out of a dog, while in the Assembly Cut the Alien bursts out of a dead ox. Another example is that in the theatrical version, Ripley and the inmates fail to trap the Alien in the toxic waste room, while in the Assembly Cut they actually succeed. Golic, the crazed prisoner who becomes fascinated with the Alien, then escapes from the infirmary, kills the prisoner standing guard, and lets the Alien loose at the expense of his own life. This fills what is arguably the most obvious plot hole in the theatrical cut, as in that version he simply disappears from the film entirely after Clemens's death in the infirmary. In addition to Golic, more of the minor characters' fates are revealed, filling more plot holes.<ref name="Vox" /><ref name="denofgeek">{{cite web |url= https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/alien-3-comparing-the-assembly-cut-to-the-theatrical-cut/ |title=Alien 3: Comparing the Assembly Cut to the Theatrical Cut |first=Ryan |last=Lambie |work=[[Den of Geek]] |date=May 10, 2017 |access-date=April 5, 2022}}</ref><ref name="dvdverdict">{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Mike |date=December 15, 2003 |title=Alien3: Collector's Edition |url= https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/alien3ce.php |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090613053144/https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/alien3ce.php |archive-date=June 13, 2009 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=[[DVD Verdict]]}}</ref>

Unlike the 2003 DVD release, in the 2010 Blu-ray version the additional footage went through post-production, receiving [[color correction]] and sound mixing to match the rest of the film, which included bringing back some cast members to re-record dialogue.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/10/27/alien-anthology-blu-ray-review |title=Alien Anthology Blu-ray Review |first=R.L. |last=Shaffer |work=[[IGN]] |date=October 28, 2010 |accessdate=May 22, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230404024508/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/10/27/alien-anthology-blu-ray-review |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Alien 3'' was released in the United States on May 22, 1992. The film debuted at number two of the box office, behind ''[[Lethal Weapon 3]]'', with a [[Memorial Day]] weekend gross of $23.1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114017143/weapon-3-wins-holiday/ |title='Weapon 3' wins holiday |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221203025447/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114017143/weapon-3-wins-holiday/ |newspaper=[[Lancaster New Era]] |page=57 |date=May 28, 1992 |access-date=December 3, 2022 |archive-date=December 3, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> It screened in 2,227 theaters, for an average gross of $8,733 per theater.<ref name="Mojo" /> The film was considered a disappointment in the United States and Canada with a total of $55.5&nbsp;million, although, according to [[Box Office Mojo]], it grossed $104.3&nbsp;million internationally<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Beauties and the Beast |last=Hochman |first=David |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=December 5, 1997 |url= https://ew.com/article/1997/12/05/sigourney-weaver-suits-fourth-alien/ |access-date=October 12, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081001002042/https://ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C290562%2C00.html |archive-date=October 1, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> for a total of $159.8&nbsp;million. It outgrossed the original theatrical run of ''Alien'', and had the 28th-highest domestic gross in 1992.<ref name="Mojo" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gunning |first=Cathal |date=November 27, 2021 |title=How Alien Flopped (Despite Making $100 Million) |url= https://screenrant.com/alien-movie-box-office-profit-loss-fox-sequel/ |access-date=September 15, 2022 |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> In October 1992, Fox claimed it was the highest-grossing of the franchise, with a worldwide gross of $175&nbsp;million.<ref name="Foxclaim">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Daily Variety]] |title=The Baddest of Them All (Fox advertisement) |page=8 |date=October 6, 1992}}</ref> By the end of 1992, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported its worldwide gross at $180&nbsp;million.<ref name="vardec92">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 28, 1992 |page=56 |title=U.S. Pics at Home and Abroad}}</ref>

===Critical response===
[[File:David_Fincher_2010_New_York_Film_Festival_-_02_(cropped).jpg|thumb|In 2009, director [[David Fincher]] (pictured here in 2010) disowned the film, saying, "No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me."<ref name="disown" />]]
Review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives ''Alien 3'' an approval rating of 44% from 125 reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Alien3'' takes admirable risks with franchise mythology, but far too few pay off in a thinly scripted sequel whose stylish visuals aren't enough to enliven a lack of genuine thrills."<ref name="Rotten">{{cite Rotten Tomatoes |id=alien3 |title=Alien 3 |type=m |access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] assigned a weighted average score of 59 out of 100 based on 20 critics, signifying "mixed or average" reviews.<ref name="MC">{{cite Metacritic |id=alien-3 |title=Alien 3 Reviews |type=m |access-date=May 5, 2019}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |access-date=April 13, 2022}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=February 2025|reason=Linking to the existence of a website's homepage is not linking to a cited particular source article at it, and is not a valid citation.}}

[[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film two thumbs down on their show ''[[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|At The Movies]],'' feeling it was repetitious. They criticized the drawn-out chase scenes near the end as well as the lack of suspenseful action, though they praised the art direction and Weaver's performance, with Ebert calling it "probably the best-looking bad movie I've seen in a while".<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |work=Siskel and Ebert |title=Sister Act, Encino Man, Alien<sup>3</sup>, Far and Away, 1992 |url= https://siskelebert.org/?p=1514 |access-date=August 8, 2020}}</ref> In his review of ''[[Alien Resurrection]]'', Ebert later wrote "I lost interest [in ''Alien 3''], when I realized that the aliens could at all times outrun and outleap the humans, so all the chase scenes were contrivances."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=Alien Resurrection movie review (1997) |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/alien-resurrection-1997 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220317051115/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/alien-resurrection-1997 |archive-date=March 17, 2022 |access-date=August 3, 2022 |website=[[RogerEbert.com]]}}</ref>

A number of cast and crew associated with the series, including actor [[Michael Biehn]], director [[James Cameron]], and novelist [[Alan Dean Foster]], expressed their frustration and disappointment with the film's story. Cameron regarded the decision to kill off the characters of Bishop, Newt, and Hicks as a "slap in the face" to him and to fans of the previous film. He eventually blamed 20th Century Fox for the film, saying that Fincher got handed "a big mess on a plate". Upon learning of the original plans during the production for his character to be killed off by using a life-sized dummy based on his likeness from which an alien would have emerged, Biehn, who had not been asked for the permission to have his likeness used, demanded and received almost as much money for the use of an archival picture of him in the EEV Crash Report sequence that appears in the theatrical cut as he had been paid for his entire role in ''Aliens''.<ref>''Wreckage and Rage: The Making of Alien 3 – Development Hell: Concluding The Story'' (''Alien 3 Collector's Edition'' DVD)</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/sdmVIp9xeK4 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190611061857/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmVIp9xeK4 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmVIp9xeK4 |title=James Cameron on memorable scenes in 'The Terminator,' 'Titanic,' 'Aliens,' 'Avatar' and more |website=[[YouTube]] |date=April 24, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="reject">{{cite web |last1=Kirk |first1=Jeremy |title=36 Things We Learned From the 'Aliens' Commentary |url= https://filmschoolrejects.com/36-things-we-learned-from-the-aliens-commentary-45fc526346e0/ |website=filmschoolrejects.com |access-date=August 4, 2017 |date=June 14, 2012}}</ref><ref name="RemarEmpire" /><ref name="THRBiehn" />

Fincher has since disowned the film. He told ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2009, "No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me."<ref name="disown">{{cite web |last1=Salisbury |first1=Mark |last2=Fincher |first2=David |title=Transcript of the Guardian interview with David Fincher at BFI Southbank |url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/03/david-fincher-interview-transcript |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=August 27, 2016 |date=January 18, 2009}}</ref> He also blamed the producers for not putting trust in him.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Director's Cut: Picturing Hollywood in the 21st Century |isbn=082641902X |last1=Littger |first1=Stephan |date=October 15, 2006 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic}}</ref><ref name="Vox">{{cite web |last=Suderman |first=Peter |date=May 22, 2017 |title=Alien 3 is far from the worst Alien movie. In fact, it's pretty great. |url= https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/5/22/15660296/alien-3-david-fincher-defense |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210807020655/https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/5/22/15660296/alien-3-david-fincher-defense |archive-date=August 7, 2021 |access-date=May 22, 2017 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/22/alien-3-movie-1992-david-fincher |title=Alien 3 at 30: David Fincher's divisive threequel remains a fascinating failure |first=Noah |last=Gittell |date=May 22, 2022 |access-date=October 22, 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> While Weaver has stood by the final film and expressed that she "loved working with" Fincher, she heavily criticized the treatment of him by 20th Century Fox, stating: "That was a transition moment when studios stopped being about 'let's make great films' and started being about 'let's not lose money.' They had the great idea to put David Fincher aboard for his first film, but then not to support the guy was very idiotic."<ref name="IndieWire">{{cite web |last=Bergeson |first=Samantha |date=August 28, 2024 |title=Sigourney Weaver Says 20th Century Fox Was 'Idiotic' to Not Support David Fincher's Vision for 'Alien 3' |url= https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/sigourney-weaver-alien-3-david-fincher-idiotic-studio-1235040980/ |access-date=May 28, 2024 |website=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref> Charles Dance also stood by the film, considering it better than its predecessor, and also praised Fincher's direction: "I remember walking on this huge set at Pinewood Studios and Fincher comes up and fires off his shot list for the day. Here's this guy young enough to be my son who knew all the crew's jobs, all the shots he wanted, and where he was going to make the cuts in the film, and I thought, 'My God, this guy is going to go far.'"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/18/charles-dance-on-tywin-lannister-s-s5-return-a-game-of-thrones-movie-and-sexy-peter-dinklage | title=A 'Thrones' Movie?! Thank the Gods | website=[[The Daily Beast]] | date=November 18, 2014 }}</ref>

Several critics have regarded the Assembly Cut as superior to the theatrical release.<ref name="denofgeek" /><ref name="dvdverdict" /><ref name="Vox" /><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/alien-3-30-year-anniversary |title=30 YEARS AGO, DAVID FINCHER MADE THE DARKEST ALIEN MOVIE EVER |first=Jeff |last=Spry |date=May 22, 2022 |access-date=October 22, 2022 |work=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]]}}</ref> Journalist Nick Schager called it a "fascinating, often fantastic" film, its additional scenes a "disdainful critique of religion".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schager |first=Nick |date=March 25, 2010 |title=Alien<sup>3</sup> (1992): B+ |url= https://www.nickschager.com/nsfp/2010/03/alien%C2%B3-1992-b.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103215153/https://www.nickschager.com/nsfp/2010/03/alien%C2%B3-1992-b.html |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |access-date=July 31, 2022 |website=Lessons of Darkness}}</ref> Critic Tim Brayton remarked it "feels much fleeter and more driven even though it's a solid 30 minutes longer".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brayton |first=Tim |date=May 2, 2011 |title=Alien<sup>3</sup> (1992) - Movie Review |url= https://www.alternateending.com/2011/05/alien-alien-alien.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210801063400/https://www.alternateending.com/2011/05/alien-alien-alien.html |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |access-date=July 31, 2022 |website=Alternate Ending}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{{See also|List of accolades received by the Alien film series}}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" width="95%" cellpadding="5"
|-
! width="20%" | Award
! width="40%" | Category
! width="30%" | Recipients
! width="10%" | Result
! {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} 
|-
| [[Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
| rowspan=2|[[Richard Edlund]], Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., and [[George Gibbs (special effects artist)|George Gibbs]]
|{{nom}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="AAAlien3" />
|-
| [[British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|Best Special Effects]]
|{{nom}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="BAFTAAlien3" />
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Fangoria Chainsaw Awards]]
|Best Studio/Big-Budget Film
|''Alien 3''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|[[Sigourney Weaver]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|Best Supporting Actor
|[[Charles S. Dutton]]
|{{nom}}
|-
| [[Hugo Awards]]
|[[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation|Best Dramatic Presentation]]
|''Alien 3''
|{{nom}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="HugoAlien3" />
|-
| [[Motion Picture Sound Editors#Golden Reel Awards|Golden Reel Awards]]
|Best Sound Editing
|''Alien 3''
|{{won}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Awards]]
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence|Best Action Sequence]]
| ''Aliens chase through a tunnel''
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="MTVAlien3" />
|-
| rowspan=7|[[Saturn Awards]]
|[[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]]
|''Alien 3''
|{{nom}}
| rowspan=7 style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="SAAlien3" />
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Sigourney Weaver
|{{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| Charles S. Dutton
|{{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Direction|Best Director]]
| [[David Fincher]]
|{{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Writing]]
| [[David Giler]], [[Walter Hill (filmmaker)|Walter Hill]], and Larry Ferguson
|{{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Costume|Best Costume]]
| Rob Ringwood and David Perry
|{{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]]
| Richard Edlund, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., and George Gibbs
|{{nom}}
|}

The film's visual effects were nominated for an [[65th Academy Awards|Academy Award]], losing to ''[[Death Becomes Her]]'', and for a [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects]].<ref name="AAAlien3">{{cite web |url= https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993 |title=The 65th Academy Awards, 1993 |date=October 4, 2014 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=September 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="BAFTAAlien3">{{cite web |title=Film in 1993 |url= http://awards.bafta.org/award/1993/film |website=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] |access-date=September 28, 2022}}</ref> The film was also nominated for seven [[Saturn Award]]s, a [[Hugo Awards|Hugo Award]] and won a [[MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence]].<ref name="SAAlien3">{{cite news |url= http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1992/1992sat.htm |title=1992 19th Saturn Awards |newspaper=[[LA Times]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061017175755/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1992/1992sat.htm |archive-date=October 17, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="HugoAlien3">{{cite web |title=1993 Hugo Awards |url= https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/1993-hugo-awards/ |website=[[Hugo Award|TheHugoAwards.org]] |date=July 26, 2007 |access-date=September 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name="MTVAlien3">{{cite web |url= http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1993/ |title=1993 MTV Movie Awards |website=[[MTV.com]] |access-date=September 30, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080423094756/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1993/ |archive-date=April 23, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Other media==

===Novelization===
A [[novelization]] of the film was authored by [[Alan Dean Foster]], writer of the novelizations of ''Alien'' and ''Aliens''. Foster's adaptation includes many scenes that were cut from the final film, some of which later reappeared in the "Assembly Cut". Foster wanted his adaptation to differ from the film's script, which he disliked, but Walter Hill declared he should not alter the storyline. Foster later commented: "So out went my carefully constructed motivations for all the principal prisoners, my preserving the life of Newt (her killing in the film is an obscenity), and much else. Embittered by this experience, that's why I turned down ''[[Alien Resurrection]]''."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Alan Dean |last=Foster |author-link=Alan Dean Foster |title=Planet Error |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |date=April 2008 |page=100}}</ref>

===Comic books===
[[Dark Horse Comics]] also released a three-issue mini series.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.abebooks.co.uk/comics/Alien-Movie-Adaptation-Comic-Set-1-2-3/30372164939/bd |title=Alien 3 Movie Adaptation Comic Set 1-2-3 Lot Arthur Suydam cvr art Chestburster |work=[[AbeBooks]] |access-date=October 26, 2022}}</ref> Created by writer [[Steven Grant]] and artist Christopher Taylor, the comic was a faithful adaption, with only a few deviations. One such deviation is that Ripley and the convicts succeed in capturing the Xenomorph in the waste-tank, only for a deranged prisoner named Golic to release it afterward. Later, when they believe they have destroyed the Alien, Ripley begs Dillon to kill her, but he can't bring himself to do it. The Xenomorph suddenly appears, and tosses Dillon into the smelting furnace.

===Video games===
A [[Alien 3 (video game)|video game of the same name]] was developed by [[Probe Entertainment]], and released for multiple formats by [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]], [[LJN]] and [[Virgin Interactive|Virgin Games]], including [[Amiga]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]] and [[Master System]]. Rather than being a faithful adaptation of the film, it took the form of a basic platform action game where the player controlled Ripley using the weapons from the film ''Aliens'' in a green-dark ambient environment.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Alien 3'' for Amiga (1992) |work=[[MobyGames]] |url= http://www.mobygames.com/game/alien_ |date=July 9, 2005 |access-date=January 6, 2012}}</ref> The [[Game Boy]] version, developed by [[Bits Studios]], was different from the console game, being a top-down adventure game. [[Sega]] also developed an arcade [[Shoot 'em up|rail shooter]] loosely based on the film's events, ''[[Alien 3: The Gun]]'', which was released in 1993.<ref name="AGR">{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Jon |url= http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9473&tab=review |title=''Alien 3: The Gun'' - Review |work=AllGame |date=November 14, 2014 |access-date=July 22, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141114222508/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9473&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name="AGO">{{cite web |url= http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9473&tab=overview |title=''Alien 3: The Gun'' – Overview |last=Thompson |first=Jon |work=AllGame |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141114222507/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9473&tab=overview |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |access-date=August 17, 2016}}</ref>

===Television===
An animated series titled ''Operation: Aliens'' was conceived by [[Kenner Products|Kenner Toys]] and Fox to coincide with the release of ''Alien 3'' but was ultimately abandoned. Animation on the series was to be carried out by the Korean animation studio [[AKOM]], but the series was scrapped for fears it would run afoul of the [[Regulations on children's television programming in the United States|Children's Television Act]] and because Fox, intending to produce further ''Alien'' films, was concerned an animated series for children would dilute the franchise's appeal to the older demographic.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Failed 'Aliens' Cartoon and the Kenner Toys It Inspired |url= https://comicsalliance.com/operation-aliens-kenner-alien-toys/ |work=[[ComicsAlliance]] |date=April 26, 2016 |access-date=December 30, 2019}}</ref>

=== William Gibson's ''Alien 3'' ===
In 2018–19, Dark Horse released ''William Gibson's Alien 3'', a five-part comic adaptation of Gibson's unproduced version of the screenplay, illustrated and adapted by Johnnie Christmas, colored by Tamra Bonvillain.<ref name="staley" />

As part of ''Alien''{{'}}s 40th anniversary, on May 30, 2019, [[Audible (store)|Audible]] released an [[audio drama]] of Gibson's script, adapted by [[Dirk Maggs]], and with Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen reprising their roles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phipps |first=Keith |date=June 24, 2019 |title=How William Gibson's Alien III changes the Aliens world |url= https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/24/18700951/william-gibson-alien-3-script-audio-drama-michael-biehn-hicks-ripley-lance-henriksen |access-date=September 23, 2022 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The production had music by [[James Hannigan]].<ref name="starburst">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Christian |date=May 6, 2019 |title=ALIEN III |url= https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/alien-iii |access-date=September 23, 2022 |website=[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]}}</ref>

In 2021, [[Pat Cadigan]] published ''Alien<sup>3</sup>: The Unproduced First-draft Screenplay by William Gibson'' (Titan Books). This novel is based on Gibson's first draft, as opposed to the second draft used for the comic and audio drama adaptations.<ref name="cadigan">{{Cite book |last=Cadigan |first=Pat |title=Alien<sup>3</sup>: The Unproduced First-Draft Screenplay |publisher=[[Titan Publishing Group]] |others=William Gibson |date=2021 |isbn=978-1-78909-752-8 |location=London |oclc=1259535421}}</ref> The novel won the Scribe Award for Best Adapted Novel.<ref>{{cite web |title=2022 Scribe Award Winners |url= https://iamtw.org/2022-scribe-award-winners/ |website=International Association of Media Tie-in Writers |date=July 23, 2022 |access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>

== Sequel ==
{{Main|Alien Resurrection}}
A sequel, ''Alien Resurrection'', was released in 1997.<ref name="AFI">{{cite web |url= https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60490-ALIEN-RESURRECTION?cxt=filmography |website=[[American Film Institute]] |title=Alien: Resurrection |access-date=May 10, 2019 |archive-date=May 10, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190510164917/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60490-ALIEN-RESURRECTION%3Fcxt%3Dfilmography |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of films featuring extraterrestrials]]
* [[List of monster movies]]
{{Portal bar|1990s|Film|United States|Speculative fiction/Horror|Speculative fiction}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Gallardo C., Ximena; Smith, C. Jason (2004). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=k_H3vLIRECgC ''Alien'' Woman: The Making of Lt. Ellen Ripley]''. Continuum. {{ISBN|0-8264-1569-5}}
* Murphy, Kathleen. "The Last Temptation of Sigourney Weaver". ''Film Comment'', vol. 28, no. 4 (July–August 1992): pp.&nbsp;17–20.
* Speed, Louise. "''Alien<sup>3</sup>'': A Postmodern Encounter with the Abject". ''Arizona Quarterly'', vol. 54, no. 1 (Spring 1998): pp.&nbsp;125–151.
* Syonan-Teo, Kobayashi (1998). "Why Sigourney is Jesus: Watching ''Alien3'' [sic] in the Light of ''Se7ven''". ''The Flyng Inkpot''.
* Taubin, Amy. "Invading Bodies: ''Aliens3'' [sic] and the Trilogy". ''Sight and Sound'' (July–August 1992): pp.&nbsp;8–10. Reprinted as: "The ''Alien'' Trilogy: From Feminism to AIDS"; pp.&nbsp;93–100; in ''Women and Film: A Sight and Sound Reader'' (1993); Cook, Pam; Dodd, Philip (eds.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
* Thomson, David. [https://classic.esquire.com/article/1997/12/1/the-bitch-is-back "The Bitch is Back"]. ''Esquire'' (December 1997): pp.&nbsp;56–57.
* Vaughn, Thomas. "Voices of Sexual Distortion: Rape, Birth, and Self-annihilation Metaphors in the ''Alien'' Trilogy". ''The Quarterly Journal of Speech'', vol. 81, no. 4 (November 1995): pp.&nbsp;423–435.
* Williams, Anne (1995). "Inner and Outer Spaces: The ''Alien'' Trilogy". ''Art of Darkness: A Poetics of Gothic''. University of Chicago Press.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0103644|Alien 3}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|alien3|Alien 3}}
* {{mojo title|alien3|Alien 3}}
* {{AFI film|59175}}
{{Alien (franchise)}}
{{David Fincher}}
{{David Giler}}
{{Authority control}}

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