movie's decision to kill off Hicks and Newt also remains controversial.
Fox later decided to bring the series back for the fittingly-titled Alien: Resurrection. The studio hired Joss Whedon to develop the story, which centered on a clone of Newt, as it was assumed Sigourney Weaver had no interest in returning. The studio eventually convinced the actor with an attractive deal, and it was retooled to focus on a Ripley clone 200 years after the events of Alien 3. The Jean-Pierre Jeunet sequel has some stylish direction and creative sequences, but it's considered the weakest outing to involve Weaver's Ripley and it remains her last appearance in the series.
Whedon himself would later disparage Alien: Resurrection - which killed his Alien 5 plans - placing the blame for its issues on the direction and miscasting, and not on his own screenplay. While penning the screenplay, he wrote certain characters with specific actors in mind. The role of Christie was written for Hong Kong legend Chow Yun-fat - as seen by the character dual-wielding pistols - but CSI's Gary Dourdan took the part, while Winona Ryder's Call was planned for Angelina Jolie. Dr. Wren serves as Alien: Resurrection's human villain, and was written with comedy icon Bill Murray.
J.E. Freeman was eventually cast as Dr. Wren in Alien: Resurrection, who is openly villainous from an early point in the story. According to Whedon, the character was supposed to be more mysterious, with his true nature only being revealed later in the story. Had Bill Murray been cast in Alien: Resurrection, this also would have served as a reunion between him and Sigourney Weaver (who has made many sci-fi movies) which would have been another selling point.
Ultimately, Fox didn't feel like paying movie star money for what they viewed as a ing role, so Bill Murray wasn't offered Alien: Resurrection's Dr. Wren. Another critique Whedon leveled at the sequel is that it was badly cast, but given that the cast included Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Leland Orser, Michael Wincott and many other talented performers, this feels like a strange critique. Given that Dr. Wren was leading the cloning experiments in Alien: Resurrection also, it seems doubtful the reveal that Bill Murray's character was a villain would be the surprise Whedon envisioned it to be.
