James Cameron Slams 'Alien 3' Twist: 'The Stupidest F--king Thing'

James Cameron did not appreciate the controversial twist in Alien 3 that immediately killed off key characters introduced in his acclaimed sequel Aliens.

The Alien franchise has often been divisive. While the original two films are widely celebrated, nearly every installment after them—including the recent television series Alien: Earth—has divided fans. None stirred more backlash than 1992’s Alien 3.

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Directed by David Fincher in his feature debut, the film opens with a shocking shift in the story as the survivors from Aliens crash on a prison planet. Only Ripley survives, while Hicks and Newt die off-screen and android Bishop is permanently deactivated.

James shared his thoughts on the infamous decision during an episode of Just Foolin’ Around, hosted by Hicks actor Michael Biehn.

“I thought that was the stupidest f–king thing,” he said. “So, you build a lot of goodwill around the characters of you know, Hicks, 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, you know, and replace them with a bunch of fucking convicts that you hate. And want to see die. Really clever.”

Despite his frustrations, the Avatar: Fire and Ash filmmaker said he ultimately gives David a “free pass,” acknowledging the significant studio interference.

“Now, I’m a big fan of Fincher and his work and all that and 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,” James said.

Meanwhile, Sigourney Weaver recently addressed whether she would ever return to the Alien franchise as Ripley.