Alien: Resurrection

Alien: Resurrection

Screenplay by       Joss Whedon

Produced by       Bill Badaloato

          Andrew MacDonald

          Walter Hill

David Giler

Gordon Carroll

Directed by       Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Cast List:

Sigourney Weaver   Ripley

Winona Ryder     Annalee Call

Ron Perlman      Johner

Brad Dourif     Dr. Gediman

Michael Wincott      Elgyn

Dan Hedaya      General Perez

Dominique Pinon    Vriess

J.E. Freeman      Dr. Wren

Raymond Cruz      DiStephano

EXT. DEEP SPACE SILENT BLACK

We sweep slowly across an endless tapestry of stars. Finally she comes into view: The U.S.S. AURIGA. A massive research vessel that sits majestically just beyond Pluto's orbit.

WE TRACK ALONG the side of the ship, and...

INT. AURIGA

... along the silent, empty corridors, coming at last to a door with two guards standing rigid in front of it. Full armour, powerful shockrifles, expressions empty and cold.

INT. MEDLAB

Along a row of screens, where we see the first signs of life readouts, lights, data – all shifting and collating on the blinking screens.

As we move ALONG them, a figure in a labcoat passes through the frame, then another, leading us along the lab to settle on what looks like a Cryogenic tube, not big enough for a human.

Still TRACKING around it, we glimpse inside some vague, fetal mass encased in a clear, aspic-like gel. Tubes and cables a attached to the mass, running out of the machine.

As we still CIRCLE, the shape begins to be more coherent, till we can see what might even be a face. Eyes, shut tight. Sleeping. Dreaming.

ANGLE: WHEAT

A birds eyes view of a field, the soft golden waves filling the screen. Sharp contrast to what we have seen before.

There is a woman wandering through the field. Beside her a girl, seven or eight, in dingey sundress. Both have black, tousled hair.

GIRL'S VOICE

My mom always said there were no monsters – no real ones – but there are.

The girl stops, looks around her. The wheat comes all the up to her chest, and nothing else is visible as far as she see.

She looks back at the woman but the woman is already more than fifty yards away.

The girl's expression becomes perplexed.

She slaps a bug on the back of her neck. Pulls it off and is HUGE, wriggling fleshily in her hand. Her expression becomes even more distraught, but she cannot muster forth a shout.

The sound of insects fills the air. Another bug lands on her, another. She looks down in growing horror and sees: Blood. At her feet, rising, filling the field, rising above the wheat, a sea of blood now, dark, thick.

The girl tries again to scream, raises her arms. She is completely covered in insects, a skittering black shroud of them, and when she finally does SCREAM they flood into her mouth.

CUT TO:

INT. LAB

Instruments show a jolt in heart rate, blood pressure. Scientists note it down, look over at the thing in aspic.

We can tell that time has passed because it is much bigger, nearly the size of a man, and in a new case.

The camera moves in on the cardiograph, then moves down, to show a second one. Tracking a smaller, much faster heartbeat.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLLWAY

Tiny, dark, and we are moving through it at impossible speed turning into another without slowing, up into an air vent, still moving, moving until we reach a chamber, some place where all we can see is a mass of dark, moving, inhuman fle it welcomes us in, envelops us...

ANGLE: RIPLEY

Lying somewhere, maybe the dark chamber – in the dream it keeps shifting. She opens her eyes, but they are dark, whiteless.

She reaches for her chest and begins scratching . Hard. Tearing at it, as blood wells up, spilling over her sides.

CUT TO:

INT. OPERATING CHAMBER

And the cause of this dream becomes apparent:

ANGLE: RIPLEY'S CHEST

Being cut open with a lasersaw.

We see her body still has a layer of the aspic-slime clinging to it. And her skin is unnaturally blue. But as we PAN from her chest to her face her identity is unmistakable.

Around her are several men in operating masks. Cutting her GEDIMAN, a young and enthusiastic scientist. One man, seemingly in charge, stands a bit off, watching. This, by tag on his coat, is DR WREN.

WREN

Careful... ready with the amnio...

Gediman finishes cutting. Another man steps in with a clamp. Sets it. Pulls apart the chest.

GEDIMAN

There she is...

He says it like he's found a lost kitten. He reaches in an pulls out a sleeping, fetal but nearly ready to burst ALIEN. Others work at severing umbilical threads that tie it to Ripley's chest.

GEDIMAN

Here we go.

He holds it up and others step in with the amnio, a sort of incubator filled with amniotic fluid.

The alien SCREAMS, its tiny mouth full with teeth, and wriggles out of his grasp.

WREN

Watch it!

Everybody panics – but before the thing can get completely away from him, Gediman grabs it and sticks it in the amnio. Someone shuts the top rapidly.

Everybody looks at each other for a moment.

GEDIMAN

Well...

WREN

The host?

A surgeon looks at Ripley's readings.

SURGEON

Doing fine.

Gediman looks at Wren, hopefully. Wren nods.

WREN

Sew her back up.

Gediman and the surgeon get to work, as the others carefully remove the alien.

GEDIMAN

Well, that went as well as could be expected –

Ripley's hand LASHES OUT, GRABS the surgeon's forearm. He yells in pain as her fingers dig into him, the others scramble knocking things over and we HEAR HIS BONE CRACKING.

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. RIPLEY'S CELL

Sudden stillness.

Ripley crouches in the middle of a small, dark chamber. She's wide eyed, staring straight ahead in a state of near catatonia. Hair tangled and wild. But at least she's not so blue as before.

The only light on her comes from directly above, from a thick pane of glass in the center of the ceiling.

ANGLE: ABOVE THE CELL

A guard stands on the floor above, looking into the cell through the square of glass in the floor, directly above Ripley.

(We see other panes of glass lining the floor, indicating more cells below.)

ANGLE: RIPLEY

She is still for a long while. Then she lifts her hands, looking at them. Touches her face, her skin.

She fingers her tunic, pulls down the neck. There is a scar running along her chest. She fingers it thoughtfully.

She looks at her forearm. Tattooed near the crook of her elbow is the number 8. She looks up, her face unreadable.

CUT TO:

INT. LAB

Ripley is sitting on a table as Gediman draws blood from her. He deposits it in a test beaker, studies her eyes.

Wren enters, looking at a chart.

WREN

How's our number Eight today?

GEDIMAN.

Appears to be in good health...

WREN

(noticing his tone)

How good?

GEDIMAN

Extraordinary. As in, completely off our projected charts.

(shows him some photos)

Look at the scar tissue. See the recession?

WREN

This is from –

GEDIMAN

Yesterday!

WREN

This is good. This is very good.

GEDIMAN

I'd like to run some tests: strength, coordination... We're not looking at a normal cloning arc.

WREN

Approved.

Wren goes up to Ripley, studies her face with satisfaction.

WREN

Well, it looks like you're going to make us all very proud.

She grabs his throat with dazzling speed, applying deadly pressure as she brings his face to hers. Her eyes are burn but lost.

RIPLEY

Why?

GEDIMAN

Oh my god...

He is as wide eyed as WREN, and he isn't having his windpipe crushed.

After a moment the shock wears off and he slams his hand into the alarm.

Klaxons, red light fire up.

A guard rushes in, levels his weapon at Ripley. After a moment of staring him down, she opens her hand. Wren falls to his knees gasping.

The guard FIRES his rifle at her – a powerful electrical charge lashes out and sends her flying back into the corner.

WREN

No! No! I'm all right!

The guards keep their weapons – 'burners' , these shockrifles are called – leveled at Ripley. She has recovered from the shock quickly, sits crumpled in the corner, looking at nothing in particular.

RIPLEY

(wearily)

Why...?

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM

Wren and Gediman watch through a one way mirror as a scientist tests Ripley. With them is General PEREZ, the man in charge this boat. Ramrod straight and about as gruff as you would expect, he stares at Ripley suspiciously.

ANGLE: RIPLEY

The scientist is holding up cards with pictures on them: house, dog, boat. Ripley gives answers we can't hear through the glass, looking pissed off and bored.

WREN

It's unprecedented.

GEDIMAN

Totally! She's operating at a completely adult capacity.

PEREZ

And her memories?

WREN

There are gaps. And there's some degree of cognitive dissonance.

GEDIMAN

She's freaked.

Wren shoots Gediman a stern look at his unscientific parlance.

WREN

"It" has some connective difficulties. A kind of low level emotional autism. Certain reactions....

Perez looks at Ripley through the glass, then exits into the hall.

CUT TO:

INT. HALL – CONTINUOUS

The two scientists follow, pace him as he strides down towards a second observation room.

GEDIMAN

But the thing is, we can't terminate her. It.

PEREZ

You haven't told me what you think has caused this. Cloned genes don't contain memory cells, not even when they're brought to adult term. I'm right?

GEDIMAN

There's been cases

PEREZ

Not like this.

WREN

Well, we don't have nearly enough data... but in some cases there is a collective memory passed down  generationally. At a genetic level. Like instinct, only more complex structurally.

PEREZ

In some cases. You're talking about the alien.

WREN

Yes.

PEREZ

You promised me there wasn't going to be any crossing.

WREN

It's not like the other ones...

Perez punches code, puts his hand on the scanner and the second observation room door opens... He steps in, the other two right behind him.

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM TWO

Darker than the first one, and with two of the heavily armoured guards by the door.

Apart from that, identical. Perez turns to the others.

PEREZ

But there is some genetic mix.

WREN

Yes.

PEREZ

Will there be further mutation?

GEDIMAN

Mutation isn't exactly... I don't think so.

WREN

That's one of the things we need to study.

PEREZ

All right. You can keep it. But secure, under obso, and for God's sake keep it away from here. I don't want any more surprises.

And as he speaks the ALIEN RISES RIGHT BEHIND HIM – it's big, the ridges on its head indicating a young queen – it hisses and LUNGES at the back of his head.

The reinforced plastic window between them, which we couldn't see, stops it. As it hits, a thin laser grid buzzes to life, sparks crackling on the alien's face.

Its bile trails darkly on the glass as it backs off.

Perez turns to look at it with the others.

PEREZ

It took a hell of a lot to get us here.

GEDIMAN

No shit.

Wren shoots him another look.

PEREZ

How soon before this one's ovulating?

WREN

Days.

PEREZ

Is that normal?

WREN

No way of knowing for sure, but I'd say it's accelerated.

(after a moment)

We're going to need the supplies.

PEREZ

They're coming. Soon.

CUT TO:

INT. MESS HALL

Ripley sits across from Gediman. He is eating at a good pace – Ripley, however, has stopped. She is staring at her fork, her brows furrowed. Turns it over in her hand, in her mind.

GEDIMAN

"Fork".