<p id="par-1_40"><em><a href=" Wars</a></em> and <em>Jaws </em>defined the 1970s so much they <a href=" paved the way for <em>Alien</em></a>. <em>Alien </em>was even pitched as a knock-off of one of those movies. Interestingly, <em>Alien</em>‘s impact on cinema was comparable to that of <em>Star Wars</em>.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-wars-caused-the-director-of-alien-to-completely-rethink-his-creative-direction">‘Star Wars’ caused the director of ‘Alien’ to completely rethink his creative direction</h2>
<p id="par-2_67">It might be difficult for modern viewers to understand the impact of the original <em>Star Wars</em>. Prior to <a href=" Lucas’ magnum opus</a>, big-budget Hollywood science fiction films like <em>The War of the Worlds</em> and <em>2001: A Space Odyssey</em> were rare. Once <em>Star Wars</em> premiered in 1977, Hollywood became much more comfortable with science fiction. By 1979, several expensive space movies were blasting off into theaters including <em>Alien</em>.</p>
<p id="par-3_66">During a 2024 interview with <a href=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wired</a>, director Ridley Scott revealed what he thought when he saw <em>Star Wars</em>. “I was stunned,” he recalled. “<em>Star Wars</em> just turned my head about completely. So much so that when I walked out of the theater, I thought, ‘Why the hell am I doing [an adaptation of] <em>Tristan and Isolde</em>?!’ Things are changing! It’s time to get down to business!” </p>
<p id="par-4_59">Everything changed for Scott. “Six weeks later, I was offered <em>Alien</em>,” he said. “I was the studio’s fifth choice.” After <em>Alien</em>, Scott went on to direct other popular films like <em>Blade Runner</em>, <em>Thelma & Louise</em>, and <em>Gladiator</em>, as well as a bunch of historical epics nobody liked such as<em> Kingdom of Heaven</em>, <em>Robin Hood</em>, and <em>Exodus: Gods and Kings</em>.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ridley-scott-s-film-was-pitched-as-a-jaws-rip-off">Ridley Scott’s film was pitched as a ‘Jaws’ rip-off</h2>
<p id="par-5_50">The similarities between <em>Alien </em>and <em>Jaws </em>are obvious. Both movies feature a giant monster who stays off-screen for much of the picture but is very frightening when it shows its face. Some of the creatives behind <em>Alien </em>knew they were going over the same territory as <a href=" Spielberg’s breakout movie</a>.</p>
<p id="par-6_43">When screenwriters try to sell a movie to a studio, they often devise a quick pitch that could be explained during a short elevator ride, usually called “an elevator pitch.” The script for <em>Alien </em>inspired the most famous elevator pitch of all time.</p>
<p id="par-7_48">According to <a href=" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Saturday Evening Post</a>, writers Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett pitched <em>Alien </em>as “<em>Jaws </em>in space.” Considering that <em>Jaws </em>was a blockbuster and <em>Star Wars</em> made science fiction fashionable again, the pitch was brilliant. It explained the movie consistently while making it appeal to the studio.</p>
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<div class="related-article related-article–simple">
<span class="related-article-flag">Related</span>
<p class="related-article__title">
<a href="
Why ‘Alien’ Director Ridley Scott Hated ‘Alien vs. Predator’ </a>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alien-inspired-some-of-the-same-devotion-as-star-wars">‘Alien’ inspired some of the same devotion as ‘Star Wars’</h2>
<p id="par-8_82">During his 2024 interview with Wired, Scott compared <em>Alien </em>to one of its forebearers. “I remember I was in a horrible office in Times Square, and I was staring down at this billboard that said, ‘<em>Alien</em> … In Space No One Can Hear You Scream,'” said Scott. “I could also see a queue going all the way around the block. I hadn’t seen that since <em>Star Wars</em>. So at that point, I kind of figured that we would be in good shape.”</p>
<p id="par-9_60">In the same way that <em>Star Wars</em> opened the doors for more cinematic science fiction, <em>Alien </em>opened the doors for more science fiction horror. The 1980s gave us many popular entries in the subgenre, including <em>The Fly</em>, <em>They Live</em>, and <em>Re-Animator</em>. The 1980s also gave us John Carpenter’s <em>The Thing</em>, which stands alongside <em>Alien </em>as the most famous extraterrestrial-run-amok movie.</p>
