The filmmaker had a very James Cameron comment about the third movie, directed by David Fincher.

James Cameron still hates that Alien 3 twist: ‘That was the stupidest f---ing thing’

The filmmaker had a very James Cameron comment about the third movie, directed by David Fincher.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in *Vanity Fair*, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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December 30, 2025 2:06 p.m. ET

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James Cameron calls 'Alien 3' twist the 'stupidest f---ing thing'. Credit:

Victoria Sirakova/Getty; 20th Century Fox

Don't get James Cameron started on *Alien 3*. The filmmaker, who followed Ridley Scott's 1979 *Alien* movie by directing 1986's *Aliens*, didn't hold back in sharing his unfiltered thoughts on the third installment's big twist.

At the start of Cameron's entry, Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley has been asleep in stasis for 57 years since the events of the first movie. A new team of Weyland-Yutani employees find her, wake her up, and bring her on a mission back to the moon where she first encountered a xenomorph.

Now the site of a human colony that lost contact with the company, the only survivor is a young girl named Newt (Carrie Henn).

In *Alien 3*, helmed by David Fincher, Newt is promptly killed off in the opening minutes, along with characters Hicks (Michael Biehn) and Bishop (Lance Henriksen). Cameron has long expressed his disdain for this "twist," but he hasn't spoken about it so bluntly until now.

Sigourney Weaver in 'Alien 3'.

20th Century Fox Licensing/Everett

Appearing on Biehn's *Just Foolin About* podcast, Cameron said, "I thought that was the stupidest f---ing thing.... You build a lot of goodwill around the characters of Hicks and Newt and Bishop, and then the first thing they do in the in the next film is kill them all off, right? Really smart, guys. And replace them with a bunch of f---ing convicts that you hate and want to see die. Really clever.”

Cameron, who's still bringing *Avatar: Fire and Ash* on the road with media appearances, clarifies he's "a big fan of Fincher and his work." He referenced the difficult production of *Alien 3*, which is now the stuff of Hollywood history. "That was his first feature film and he was getting vectored around by a lot of other voices and all that, so I give him a free pass on that one," Cameron said.

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Biehn agreed, but emphasized, "He was given a bowl of s---. He had to overcome that problem."

Biehn has his own issues with *Alien 3*. He shared how the studio planned to use his likeness to create the image of "Hicks with his f---ing chest blown out" without his knowledge or consent. "We called them up and said, 'This can't happen.' And they started throwing money at me," the actor recalled.

Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn in James Cameron's 'Aliens'.

20th Century Fox Film Corp/Courtesy Everett

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He's also just as upset over the death of Hicks as Cameron. "You put so much effort into that f---ing character and so much [of] who he was, and so did I," he commented to the director. “And the fact that you're going to dismiss him like this, no, that's not going to happen. We ended up negotiating, and Fincher called me on the phone. I was like, 'Go f--- yourself.'"

They ended up reaching an agreement to use an archived photo of Hicks for that scene.

You know what Biehn and Cameron do like, though? FX's *Alien: Earth* drama series, which takes place before the events of Scott's *Alien*. The director calls that show "pretty good" with "a lot of the DNA" from the original movies. Season 2 is currently in the works.

Still, Cameron notes, "You couldn't pay me enough money to go back to that franchise there. It's sort of almost become fan-driven at this point."

Listen to Cameron and Biehn's comments in the video above or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Source: “EW Sci-Fi”