Screenplay by Joss
Whedon
Produced by Bill Badaloato
Andrew
MacDonald
Walter Hill
David Giler
Gordon Carroll
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Cast List:
Sigourney Weaver Ripley
Winona Ryder Annalee Call
Ron Perlman Johner
Brad Dourif Dr. Gediman
Michael Wincott Elgyn
Dan Hedaya General Perez
Dominique Pinon Vriess
J.E. Freeman Dr. Wren
Raymond Cruz DiStephano
EXT. DEEP SPACE SILENT BLACK
We sweep slowly across an
endless tapestry of stars. Finally she comes into view: The U.S.S. AURIGA. A massive research vessel that sits
majestically just beyond Pluto's orbit.
WE TRACK ALONG
the side of the ship, and...
INT. AURIGA
... along the silent, empty
corridors, coming at last to a door with two guards standing rigid in front of
it. Full armour, powerful shockrifles, expressions empty and cold.
INT. MEDLAB
Along a row of screens, where
we see the first signs of life readouts, lights, data – all shifting and
collating on the blinking screens.
As we move ALONG them, a figure in a labcoat passes through the frame, then another,
leading us along the lab to settle on what looks like a Cryogenic tube, not big
enough for a human.
Still TRACKING around it, we glimpse inside some vague, fetal mass encased in a
clear, aspic-like gel. Tubes and cables a attached to the mass, running out of
the machine.
As we still CIRCLE, the shape begins to be more coherent, till we can see what might even
be a face. Eyes, shut tight. Sleeping. Dreaming.
ANGLE: WHEAT
A birds eyes view of a field,
the soft golden waves filling the screen. Sharp contrast to what we have seen
before.
There is a woman wandering
through the field. Beside her a girl, seven or eight, in dingey sundress. Both
have black, tousled hair.
GIRL'S VOICE
My mom always
said there were no monsters – no real ones – but there are.
The girl stops, looks around
her. The wheat comes all the up to her chest, and nothing else is visible as
far as she see.
She looks back at the woman
but the woman is already more than fifty yards away.
The girl's expression becomes
perplexed.
She slaps a bug on the back of
her neck. Pulls it off and is HUGE, wriggling
fleshily in her hand. Her expression becomes even more distraught, but she
cannot muster forth a shout.
The sound of insects fills the
air. Another bug lands on her, another. She looks down in growing horror and
sees: Blood. At her feet, rising, filling the field, rising above the wheat, a
sea of blood now, dark, thick.
The girl tries again to
scream, raises her arms. She is completely covered in insects, a skittering
black shroud of them, and when she finally does SCREAM
they flood into her mouth.
CUT TO:
INT. LAB
Instruments show a jolt in
heart rate, blood pressure. Scientists note it down, look over at the thing in
aspic.
We can tell that time has
passed because it is much bigger, nearly the size of a man, and in a new case.
The camera moves in on the
cardiograph, then moves down, to show a second one. Tracking a smaller, much
faster heartbeat.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLLWAY
Tiny, dark, and we are moving
through it at impossible speed turning into another without slowing, up into an
air vent, still moving, moving until we reach a chamber, some place where all
we can see is a mass of dark, moving, inhuman fle it welcomes us in, envelops
us...
ANGLE: RIPLEY
Lying somewhere, maybe the
dark chamber – in the dream it keeps shifting. She opens her eyes, but they are
dark, whiteless.
She reaches for her chest and
begins scratching . Hard. Tearing at it, as blood wells up, spilling over her
sides.
CUT TO:
INT. OPERATING CHAMBER
And the cause of this dream
becomes apparent:
ANGLE: RIPLEY'S CHEST
Being cut open with a
lasersaw.
We see her body still has a
layer of the aspic-slime clinging to it. And her skin is unnaturally blue. But
as we PAN from her chest to her face her identity is unmistakable.
Around her are several men in
operating masks. Cutting her GEDIMAN, a young and
enthusiastic scientist. One man, seemingly in charge, stands a bit off,
watching. This, by tag on his coat, is DR WREN.
WREN
Careful... ready
with the amnio...
Gediman finishes cutting.
Another man steps in with a clamp. Sets it. Pulls apart the chest.
GEDIMAN
There she is...
He says it like he's found a
lost kitten. He reaches in an pulls out a sleeping, fetal but nearly ready to
burst ALIEN. Others work at severing umbilical threads
that tie it to Ripley's chest.
GEDIMAN
Here we go.
He holds it up and others step
in with the amnio, a sort of incubator filled with amniotic fluid.
The alien SCREAMS, its tiny mouth full with teeth, and wriggles out of his grasp.
WREN
Watch it!
Everybody panics – but before
the thing can get completely away from him, Gediman grabs it and sticks it in
the amnio. Someone shuts the top rapidly.
Everybody looks at each other
for a moment.
GEDIMAN
Well...
WREN
The host?
A surgeon looks at Ripley's
readings.
SURGEON
Doing fine.
Gediman looks at Wren,
hopefully. Wren nods.
WREN
Sew her back up.
Gediman and the surgeon get to
work, as the others carefully remove the alien.
GEDIMAN
Well, that went
as well as could be expected –
Ripley's hand LASHES OUT, GRABS the surgeon's forearm. He yells in pain as
her fingers dig into him, the others scramble knocking things over and we HEAR
HIS BONE CRACKING.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. RIPLEY'S CELL
Sudden stillness.
Ripley crouches in the middle
of a small, dark chamber. She's wide eyed, staring straight ahead in a state of
near catatonia. Hair tangled and wild. But at least she's not so blue as
before.
The only light on her comes
from directly above, from a thick pane of glass in the center of the ceiling.
ANGLE: ABOVE THE CELL
A guard stands on the floor
above, looking into the cell through the square of glass in the floor, directly
above Ripley.
(We see other panes of glass
lining the floor, indicating more cells below.)
ANGLE: RIPLEY
She is still for a long while.
Then she lifts her hands, looking at them. Touches her face, her skin.
She fingers her tunic, pulls
down the neck. There is a scar running along her chest. She fingers it
thoughtfully.
She looks at her forearm.
Tattooed near the crook of her elbow is the number 8. She looks up, her face
unreadable.
CUT TO:
INT. LAB
Ripley is sitting on a table
as Gediman draws blood from her. He deposits it in a test beaker, studies her
eyes.
Wren enters, looking at a
chart.
WREN
How's our number
Eight today?
GEDIMAN.
Appears to be in
good health...
WREN
(noticing his
tone)
How good?
GEDIMAN
Extraordinary.
As in, completely off our projected charts.
(shows him some
photos)
Look at the scar
tissue. See the recession?
WREN
This is from –
GEDIMAN
Yesterday!
WREN
This is good.
This is very good.
GEDIMAN
I'd like to run
some tests: strength, coordination... We're not looking at a normal cloning
arc.
WREN
Approved.
Wren goes up to Ripley,
studies her face with satisfaction.
WREN
Well, it looks
like you're going to make us all very proud.
She grabs his throat with
dazzling speed, applying deadly pressure as she brings his face to hers. Her
eyes are burn but lost.
RIPLEY
Why?
GEDIMAN
Oh my god...
He is as wide eyed as WREN, and he isn't having his windpipe crushed.
After a moment the shock wears
off and he slams his hand into the alarm.
Klaxons, red light fire up.
A guard rushes in, levels his
weapon at Ripley. After a moment of staring him down, she opens her hand. Wren
falls to his knees gasping.
The guard FIRES his rifle at her – a powerful electrical charge lashes out and sends
her flying back into the corner.
WREN
No! No! I'm all
right!
The guards keep their weapons
– 'burners' , these shockrifles are called – leveled at Ripley. She has
recovered from the shock quickly, sits crumpled in the corner, looking at
nothing in particular.
RIPLEY
(wearily)
Why...?
CUT TO:
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM
Wren and Gediman watch through
a one way mirror as a scientist tests Ripley. With them is General PEREZ, the man in charge this boat. Ramrod straight and about as gruff as
you would expect, he stares at Ripley suspiciously.
ANGLE: RIPLEY
The scientist is holding up
cards with pictures on them: house, dog, boat. Ripley gives answers we can't
hear through the glass, looking pissed off and bored.
WREN
It's
unprecedented.
GEDIMAN
Totally! She's
operating at a completely adult capacity.
PEREZ
And her
memories?
WREN
There are gaps.
And there's some degree of cognitive dissonance.
GEDIMAN
She's freaked.
Wren shoots Gediman a stern
look at his unscientific parlance.
WREN
"It"
has some connective difficulties. A kind of low level emotional autism. Certain
reactions....
Perez looks at Ripley through
the glass, then exits into the hall.
CUT TO:
INT. HALL – CONTINUOUS
The two scientists follow,
pace him as he strides down towards a second observation room.
GEDIMAN
But the thing
is, we can't terminate her. It.
PEREZ
You haven't told
me what you think has caused this. Cloned genes don't contain memory cells, not
even when they're brought to adult term. I'm right?
GEDIMAN
There's been
cases
PEREZ
Not like this.
WREN
Well, we don't
have nearly enough data... but in some cases there is a collective memory
passed down generationally. At a
genetic level. Like instinct, only more complex structurally.
PEREZ
In some cases.
You're talking about the alien.
WREN
Yes.
PEREZ
You promised me
there wasn't going to be any crossing.
WREN
It's not like
the other ones...
Perez punches code, puts his
hand on the scanner and the second observation room door opens... He steps in,
the other two right behind him.
CUT TO:
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM TWO
Darker than the first one, and
with two of the heavily armoured guards by the door.
Apart from that, identical.
Perez turns to the others.
PEREZ
But there is
some genetic mix.
WREN
Yes.
PEREZ
Will there be
further mutation?
GEDIMAN
Mutation isn't
exactly... I don't think so.
WREN
That's one of
the things we need to study.
PEREZ
All right. You
can keep it. But secure, under obso, and for God's sake keep it away from here.
I don't want any more surprises.
And as he speaks the ALIEN RISES RIGHT BEHIND HIM – it's big, the ridges on its head
indicating a young queen – it hisses and LUNGES at the back of his head.
The reinforced plastic window
between them, which we couldn't see, stops it. As it hits, a thin laser grid
buzzes to life, sparks crackling on the alien's face.
Its bile trails darkly on the
glass as it backs off.
Perez turns to look at it with
the others.
PEREZ
It took a hell
of a lot to get us here.
GEDIMAN
No shit.
Wren shoots him another look.
PEREZ
How soon before
this one's ovulating?
WREN
Days.
PEREZ
Is that normal?
WREN
No way of
knowing for sure, but I'd say it's accelerated.
(after a moment)
We're going to
need the supplies.
PEREZ
They're coming.
Soon.
CUT TO:
INT. MESS HALL
Ripley sits across from
Gediman. He is eating at a good pace – Ripley, however, has stopped. She is
staring at her fork, her brows furrowed. Turns it over in her hand, in her
mind.
GEDIMAN
"Fork".