10 Movies Actually Improved By Studio Interference
6. Alien
Ridley Scott's 1979 seminal science-fiction horror Alien is widely regarded to be one of the bleakest stories ever conceived and launched the career of its relatively unknown star, Sigourney Weaver, into the stratosphere.
However, without the intervention of studio executives, the film would have had ended on a much more horrifying and franchise-destroying note.
In Scott's original ending, after escaping the self-destructing Nostromo, instead of sending the Xenomorph out of the airlock its death, Weaver's Ellen Ripley would have had her head ripped off. The alien would deliver the final log entry in the voice of the ship's previously deceased captain, Tom Skerrit's Dallas.
According to Scott, after explaining his vision to executives at 20th Century Fox over the phone, a representative from the studio appeared on set within 14 hours and threatened to fire him on the spot unless he agreed to a more sequel-friendly ending.
Although Scott's ending may have been slightly more realistic and in keeping with the film's brutal tone, Fox's decision has proved to be fortuitous. Especially for Weaver who has gone on to reprise her role 4 more times and become one of the most iconic female heroines ever to grace the big screen.