Jeff Nichols' Alien Nation Has Been Repurposed Back Into An Original Sci-Fi Film [Exclusive]
Jeff Nichols' "Alien Nation" remake is still happening, but it won't have the "Alien Nation" title anymore.
In 2016, the writer/director of films like "Mud," "Take Shelter," and "Midnight Special" was tapped to direct a remake of the 1988 film "Alien Nation" by 20th Century Fox. A couple of years later, Nichols gave us an update about the project, explaining that it was set in his home state of Arkansas, would have a $100 million budget, and he referred to it as "epic." But when Disney purchased Fox in 2019, the movie fell by the wayside and it seemed to be dead forever. In early 2021, Nichols revealed that Disney asked him to expand his screenplay into a 10-episode TV series, and at the time, he was awaiting word about whether or not that version would move forward. Then, a few months later, an announcement came out that Nichols was developing an original sci-fi feature film for the folks at Paramount.
The filmmaker is currently making the rounds promoting the release of his latest movie, "The Bikeriders" (which itself was dropped by its original studio and thankfully saved by another), and during my interview with Nichols, I asked about the status of that original sci-fi project.
"That is still on," he said. "I finished the latest rewrite of that — which I'm really, really proud of — a couple months back, turned it into them, and we are in serious talks. We'll see. It's a very expensive film, and anytime you make a film at that level, you kind of have to deliver it up to the studio gods. We'll see what happens. But it takes place in Arkansas. It says everything I want to say about humanity and the universe, and the way things work. I'd be very, very happy if I got to make that film."
Hmm. A very expensive sci-fi film set in Arkansas that says everything he wants to say about humanity? That sounds familiar, so I asked if he was able to incorporate any of his "Alien Nation" ideas into this new project. Turns out, the original sci-fi movie actually is "Alien Nation," just with a different name.
Jeff Nichols' Alien Nation began as an original pitch, and is now original once again
"That's actually the script that it is," Nichols said, and he went on to explain how the project evolved in the years since Disney buying Fox:
"The way that the 'Alien Nation' thing came about is they called and were like, 'Hey, do you want to remake this?' I was like, 'Look, I'm a fan of the original film, but no, I don't believe in remakes.' Like, why? I said, 'But I have this original idea. Would you all like to hear it?' And they really liked that idea, and they were like, 'Can we put that title on there?' 'Sure, I don't care. Give me a hundred million dollars, you can put any title you want on it.' [laughs] And then of course, the Fox/Disney merger happened, and Disney didn't want to move forward with it, and we were able to get it over to Paramount without that title. So it is really this one project that I've just been working on for years and years and years, and I still really love it."
"Alien Nation" was set in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, when a spaceship carrying 300,000 extra-terrestrial refugees lands on Earth. After spending three years in quarantine, the so-called "Newcomers" start integrating into our world, getting traditional jobs and interacting with human society. Mandy Patinkin played the L.A.P.D.'s first alien cop, who is partnered up with a specist cop (James Caan) who doesn't like the idea of aliens spending time with humans. Nichols has said that his version would not have been a typical remake, but he did say there would be aliens involved, so presumably this newly untitled story will still give him the chance to weigh in on vital topics like refugees, immigration, and xenophobia in that unique, personal, tactile, and distinctively Southern Jeff Nichols way.
You can listen to my whole interview with him on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast:
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