20 Mind-Blowing Facts About Alien Movies
10. Aliens – Behind The Scenes Ructions Almost Threatened The Production
While it wasn’t quite as clusterf*ck a production as likes of The
Island of Dr Moreau, considering some of the issues that arose during the
filming of Aliens it’s still a wonder the movie managed to turn out so
brilliantly.
Upon arrival at Pinewood Studios in the UK, James Cameron was at loggerheads with the British crew many of whom had worked with Ridley Scott on Alien and were fiercely loyal to the original director.
The crew also took issue with Cameron’s relative lack of experience – he only had the not-so-outstanding Piranha II: The Spawning and the then unreleased Terminator under his directorial belt – while Cameron and other American cast and crew objected to the Brit faction’s insistence on regular tea breaks.
A mutiny almost broke out when friction between Cameron and first assistant director Derek Cracknell reached boiling point, resulting in Cracknell being fired and his supporters temporarily downing tools in protest.
Thankfully, any major issues were dealt with and we have the Aliens we know and love today but if there’s a lesson to be learned from all this it’s that we do not question the sacred British ritual that is the tea break, okay America?