Movie of the Month: "Alien 3 // The Assembly Cut"

Though the exact date hasn’t been established publicly, it must have been some time during the second or third re-write in early 1990 when actor Michael Biehn was gearing up for his expected role in the upcoming sequel to the 1986 hit “Aliens”. The producers had at least outlined a part for him since Sigourney Weaver was reluctant to come back for another go. And in his mind, at least, there was this sort of white bread nuclear vision—comprised of the survivor trio that left LV-426—battling the alien menace across the galaxy as one big happy family. Just like Weaver’s famed heroine Ellen Ripley would have wanted.

But when he was alerted to the fact that his character would be killed off in the third installment of the “Alien” franchise his disgust was genuine. And he wouldn’t have been the only one.