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3.0 

Alien 3: The Unproduced Screenplay by William Gibson

By Pat Cadigan & William Gibson
Alien 3: The Unproduced Screenplay by William Gibson by Pat Cadigan & William Gibson digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

The first-draft Alien screenplay by William Gibson, the founder of cyberpunk, turned into a novel by Pat Cadigan, the Hugo Award-Winning “Queen of Cyberpunk.”

William Gibson’s never-before-adapted screenplay for the direct sequel to Aliens, revealing the fates of Ripley, Newt, the synthetic Bishop, and Corporal Hicks. When the Colonial Marines vessel Sulaco docks with space station and military installation Anchorpoint, a new form of Xenomorph appears. Written by Hugo Award-winning novelist and “Queen of Cyberpunk” Pat Cadigan, based on Gibson’s never-produced first draft. 

The Sulaco—on its return journey from LV-426—enters a sector controlled by the “Union of Progressive Peoples,” a nation-state engaged in an ongoing cold war and arms race. U.P.P. personnel board the Sulaco and find hypersleep tubes with Ripley, Newt, and an injured Hicks. A Facehugger attacks the lead commando, and the others narrowly escape, taking what remains of Bishop with them. 

The Sulaco continues to Anchorpoint, a space station and military installation the size of a small moon, where it falls under control of the military’s Weapons Division. Boarding the Sulaco, a team of Colonial Marines and scientists is assaulted by a pair of Xenomorph drones. In the fight Ripley's cryotube is badly damaged. It’s taken aboard Anchorpoint, where Ripley is kept comatose. Newt and an injured Corporal Hicks are awakened, and Newt is sent to Gateway Station on the way to Earth. The U.P.P. sends Bishop to Anchorpoint, where Hicks begins to hear rumors of experimentation—the cloning and genetic modification of Xenomorphs. 

The kind of experimentation that could yield a monstrous hybrid, and perhaps even a Queen.

ALIEN 3 TM & © Twentieth Century Films. All rights reserved.

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Alien 3: The Unproduced Screenplay by William Gibson Reviews

3.0
“Sometimes I find it easier to read something that exists within a property I'm family with. That way I don't have to do any heavy lifting when it comes to imagining the characters or environment. I love Alien and I really enjoy the omnibus books I managed to get through during lockdown. Unfortunately the absence of Ripley is felt. Either have her in it or not. Also, Alien 3 (the movie) is perfect as it is.”
“Both the original screenplay for Alien 3 and the film version have some interesting ideas to offer, but I don’t think either fully justifies its own existence. That said, I do prefer the original draft overall — it feels like the stronger version to me despite its lack of Ripley. And I say this as someone who actually quite enjoys the Alien 3 we ended up with.”

About Pat Cadigan

Pat Cadigan  is a science fiction, fantasy and horror writer, three-time winner of the Locus Award, twice winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and one-time winner of the Hugo Award. She wrote the novelization of Alita: Battle Angel, and a prequel novel to the highly anticipated film, Iron City. She also wrote Lost in Space: Promised Land, novelizations of two episodes of The Twilight Zone, the Cellular novelization, and the novelization and sequel to Jason X.

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