Dan O' Bannons original alien concept... looking familiar?

Wow, Mvmnt is on fire. that first picture may be right on.

I do hope the creature does have a face of sorts rather than being a clump of tentacles. I was expecting a creature to eventually turn up with having squid/octopus limbs as they are one of the basic shapes of lifeforms. They've done spider (facehugger) and snake (chestburster, cobra-hugger) so having a squid thing was only logical in the end.

Second picture has reference with paintings on the wall.

Is it just me or is the second pic have the xenomorph's body back to front? Just noticed its arms and head are facing forward but where its chest should be is showing its spine ridges which are on its back.

@Wirrn You may have something, there.

"O’Bannon envisioned the alien as a leftover of a bygone race, a creature that, despite having two sexes of its own, required a third organism to reproduce. Birth would require sacrifice, the act undertaken at a pyramid structure. The newborn creature is overcome by blood lust, but eventually becomes cultured and intelligent. Thousands of years after the extinction of this race (likely due to their own self-destruction and reaping of their home world) a team of astronauts land on the desolate planetoid after responding to a distress call." "With Giger, the alien, aesthetically, truly became the Alien; O’Bannon’s adaptive organism, a parasitical, sexual being which kills at birth and takes traits such as anthropomorphism (or quadrupedalism) from its host. This, combined with Giger’s sexual aesthetics, resulted in an eight foot tall beast in the shape of a man with a blood lust straight from the Id." ‘If it came out the size of a cat, it could keep changing and growing – and avoid the one bad feature of most great monsters movies: they eventually become repetitive. With this built-in device, it could keep changing shapes and sizes.’ Ron Shusset.

[img]http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleimages/dan/movie_scripts/script7.jpg[/img] [img]http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleimages/dan/movie_scripts/script8.jpg[/img] [img]http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleimages/dan/movie_scripts/alien3.jpg[/img]

From Dan's original script... The whole thing is here...[url=http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/alien_early.html]Dan'sOriginalAlienScript[/url] INTERIOR - TOMB - LATE AFTERNOON Face bare, Broussard approaches the center of the room, which is dominated by a large, broad pedestal. On the pedestal are ROWS OF LEATHERY URNS OR JARS, EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE BROUSSARD STUMBLED ACROSS IN THE ALIEN SHIP -- EXCEPT THESE ARE ALL SEALED. He walks around the urns, studying them. They all have sealed lids. He shines his light on one of them; then he lays his gloved hand on it. He lifts his mask radio to his lips. BROUSSARD I don't know if you can hear me, but the place is full of large bottles or jars, just like the one we found on the other ship -- except these are all sealed. Also they're soft to the touch. He peers more closely at the leathery object. BROUSSARD (CONT'D) Another funny thing -- I just put my hand on it, and now there are these raised areas appearing where my fingertips were. EXTERIOR - BASE OF PYRAMID - DAY THE SUN DROPS BELOW THE HORIZON, throwing the landscape into gloom. Standard and Melkonis switch on their lights. STANDARD Let's go. He attaches his chest unit to the wire and starts up. INTERIOR - TOMB - NIGHT Broussard is moving his light along the rows of heiroglyphs on the wall. They depict stylized drawings of strange monsters. He pauses to quickly change the film clip in his datastick; then he turns back to the "urn" he was examining -- BUT NOW THERE IS A HOLE IN THE TOP OF IT. He shines his light on the floor at the base of the "urn." There lies the "lid" -- the stopper that had filled the hole. He picks it up and studies it. It appears more organic than artificial; the inside surface is spongy and irregular. Then he turns the light to the now-open "urn." He bends over the mouth of the "urn" shining the light in, AND WITH SHOCKING VIOLENCE, A SMALL, OCTOPUS-LIKE THING LEAPS OUT AND ATTACHES ITSELF TO HIS FACE, WRAPPING ITS TENTACLES AROUND HIS HEAD. With a MUFFLED SCREAM, he launches himself backward, tearing at the thing with his hands.

That's the one

I LOVE Ron Cobb, but a creature designer he should not be... The only thing about tentacles is that they are REALLY HARD to do realistically. Octopi are so cool (and smart) that I think there's a lot of potential there, but getting puppet tentacles (in foam or whatnot) to relieve me of my disbelief would be very challenging. And, I find the puppets OH so much more frightening in general. A slimy, strangulating puppet could actually get on me. It could touch me. (Yuck) CGI, not so much. Of course, if they can [u]fool[/u] me into believing that it's NOT CGI, well then...

in Alien you just got to see the speed and the deadly force of the killing machine. the complete creature was shown at the end. i think that was one of the things that made it so succesfull

Dan O'Bannon's script sucked hard. David Giler and Walter Hill really made it work when they rewrote most of the thing. If you liked the dialogue and the whole plot element with Ash being an android, you can thank them, not the loser Orville Redenbacher look-a-like O'Bannon. Giler and Hill wrote the script, Scott directed, Giger designed the creature, Ron Shusett came up with the idea of screwing Kane in the face, and Dan O'Bannon was asked to leave the set because he didn't like what was happening with the movie.

That's what Giler and Hiil said but it seems more today like they both RAPED O'Bannon ! fact is, if not for Dan, none of us are even here today!

and you missed the point I think, the point is, a lot of the stuff they took & left out Ridley has now put back in !!! It's undeniable.

If you're talking about the above storyboard image, that's just the alien with its torso rotated around. The design elements for Alien are all there, just disoriented. I haven't seen anything else from Alien that was cut out that's being put in Prometheus. The only part that Dan O'Bannon is really responsible that's in the end product is the idea of an alien on a ship and the title. If you read the script, it really is bad.

How about we start with the Pyramids first? {and I'm purposely being very reserved right now cause it's my belief there is a TON of stuff I can post, but I want us to go easy here !} I read the script and it is in fact the exact BASE for the first film dialogue or no, this whole thing was his original idea they re wrote dialogue for to suit their own changes they made, but the BASE of the story is completely in tact and there are way way more things than just the Pyramid! Seems to me you have mistakenly bought into Giller's and Hill's campaign to discredit O'Bannon which I know many many people here would have a lot to say about if they were awake...and with all due respect. IF the script was so bad why did they use 90% of it for starters?

what is also hysterical to me is we posted a news clipping recently in which just a few weeks after the release of the film Giller LACES INTO O''BANNON WITH SOME EVIL SOUNDING TIRADE THAT REEKS OF JEALOUSY FOR THE FACT THAT O'BANNON WROTE THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT FOR THE FILM.

AND HERE IT IS...MY GIFT TO YOU...I BET YOU JUST LOVE IT !!! [url=http://www.littlegiger.com/articles/files/Cinefantastique_09_01.pdf]GilerOrO'Bannon's Alien?[/url]

I'm not being confrontational here, but it seems to me that Xenotron is a Brandywine whore... Here is Brandywine Productions history regards the Alien... [u]1979, Alien[/u] Dan O,Bannon, with some assistance from his friend Ronald Shussett wrote a screenplay for a film. Originally it was called Starbeast, but Dan soon changed the name to Alien. Having done the ultimate spoof of the sci-fi B movie with Dark Star, Dan wrote Alien to be a dark, creepy, scary B movie done as an A movie. They first approached Roger Corman (I believe that is his name) knowing he would make the film, but Dan was reluctant, knowing Corman would just release it as another B movie. They then approached Gordon Carroll with the script. Carroll loved it and saw the direction Dan wanted to take and knew with the right backing that the film could be a success. At the time Carroll was starting a production company with two colleagues, David Giler and Walter Hill. Upon reading the script for Alien Giler decided to rewrite it, claiming he was unhappy with the story. The truth was that with enough rewritten content the script would be Gilers property, thus ensuring Dan would not get paid for his script, maximising Giler, and Brandywines profits from the film. After extensive rewrites Giler submitted his revised script once Ridley Scott had become involved. Scott preferred the original script over Gilers rewrite, but did like the (overused at the time) corporate conspiracy element of Gilers version. Giler, reluctantly rewrote the script yet again, re-incorporating most of Dan's original ideas. During filming Brandywine constantly interferred, it was them that originally said no to the Jockey set, it was them that refused Dan admittance to the set, despite that Scott had granted Dan admittance. Furthermore as previously said in another thread, it was Dan who suggested Giger and Cobb, and Dan designed the Facehugger. Cobb suggested Foss and Scott suggested Mobius. [u]1986, Aliens[/u] Keen to captilise on the growing success of Alien Brandywine pondered the idea of a sequel. Before filming the Terminator, James Cameron approached Brandywine, who because of their rewrites on Alien owned the production rights to Alien (whereas Fox own the distribution rights), with a short treatment for an Alien II. Brandywine like the initial idea but suggested Jim do more work on the story. While filming the Terminator production was put on hold when Arnold Schwarzenegger was recalled to the set of Conan II the Destroyer. Unable to film any scenes with his main star Jim wrote the original draft of the screenplay for Alien II and again approached Brandywine. They liked what they saw and promised Jim he could direct it if the Terminator was a success. It was and so Aliens was made. Both Jim and Sigourney Weaver wished to film in the US at fox studios, but Brandywine refused and Pinewood Studios in the UK was used (as in Alien). Jim was with the lacklustre attitude of the UK crew, the delays in the sets being built and the constant budget cutting that limited his original intentions - the Powerloader was originally meant to be fully operational, the use of rear projection was overused because of unfinished sets. Furthermore, in hindsight Weaver has stated her dissatisfaction with the route her character took in Aliens, becoming a gun toting heroine. Yes it was Jim's idea, but it was sanctioned by Brandywine. [u]1991, Alien 3[/u] Where to start here. Fox approached Brandywine about another Alien sequel. Brandywine accepted, promising to deliver fox a film for a set release date, despite having no contracts, no script, no crew, no cast and no director (first mistake). Numerous writers and directors were approached and many outlandish ideas were proposed, none to Brandywines satisfaction. Time dragged on with no progress and Fox became edgy, demanding Brandywine hurry up. Forced into a corner Brandywine started production of sets using their latest director (forget his name), before approaching him to refuse his idea of a wooden planet. The director in question felt his vision was being sidelined and left. Brandywine had a set, a cast, a crew but they had no script and no director. They approached David Fincher, asking him to direct and write the script. He accepted, quickly wrote a script and threw together some storyboards and ideas and production began. Immediately, despite the impossible goal ahead of Fincher (directing his first film no less), Brandywine interferred - rewriting Finchers script, limiting production costs, taking shortcuts, giving him a director of photography with alzheimers... the list goes on. Once production was finished and post production began, no sooner has Fincher entered the editing room when Brandywine demanded reshoots of key scenes and key script changes, despite the ever closer release date. Fincher had enough and walked out. The film released in theaters was Brandywines cut, the DVD assembly cut being Fox's interpretation of what the assume was Finchers vision. And yes it was Brandywine that suggested ADI for Alien 3 and all subsequent films featuring the Alien. [u]Alien Resurrection[/u] Things get worse. Joss Whedon, writer and director of the Avengers, wrote a drat screenplay for an Alien sequel in which Newt was cloned. Brandywine despised the idea, but humored Whedon, asking him to work on it. Whedon rewrote it and returned. Brandywine mused over it, showing it to Weaver. She liked it so much she requested another rewrite in which her character was cloned. Whedon reluctantly agreed and rewrote the screenplay yet again. The wheels had started turning. Fox approached french director Jean-Pierre Jeunet to direct Whedons new script with Weaver as the main star and producer. Again the screenplay was rewritten at Jeunet's request, slowly turning the film into a self-parody. Brandywine despite feeling the film was inferior to the originals kept their mouths shut, having been guaranteed a lucrative cut of the profits. [u]2004, AVP[/u] Ever wondered why AVP was PG-13... Yep, Brandywine. After years of being limbo AVP was greenlit after Jon Davis (Davis Group, which owned the production rights to the Predator) approached Brandywine with Paul W S Andersons proposal. But upon learning that Anderson had approached Dan O'Bannon with his ideas, in which Dan suggested a few ideas, Brandywine approached Fox suggesting a lower rating for the film, to maximise profits. Anderson was ordered to cut all offensive content from his screenplay (foul language, gore, terror etc.) but continued regardless, keen to avoid the film entering limbo once again. Brandywine did nothing more and just waited for their pay-slip. [u]2007, AVPR[/u] Fan boys, former ILM employees and SFX gurus the Brothers Strausse approached Fox with a screenplay for a sequel to AVP that featured, in depth, the Pred-Alien. A previous script in which the hybrid was killed off in the first act was abandoned and Fox contacted Davis and Brandwyine. Davis was very enthusiastic about the idea, Brandywine just signed a contract allowing the Alien creature to feature in return for a lucrative cut of the profits. At no point during the production of Alien 3, Resurrection, AVP or AVPR did Brandywine state their dissatisfaction. They are, unbelievably, the guardians of this franchise, but its is because of their greed and inaction that the franchise has suffered so greatly. So Xenotron I ask you... do you still wish to praise these vultures?

The top image does look simular to what was explained to me ages ago, i was told this on April 1st and passed it on, on these boards about April 3rd.... So i had my doubts..... But yes what was described was simular to that to picture, but also could had described something simular to the Alien Suit in Independance day.