Alien: Engineers

by Jon Spaiths

Screenplay for the movie Prometheus

Genres: Science Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Filip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Studio: Spaihts, I fear we may have replace you with a better known screenwriter because decent movies are made with names, not scripts.
Spaihts: Well, I didn't even kn...
Studio: Boom, replaced. Lindelof, welcome to the board. Your first task is to decrease the IQ of all the characters by 50 points. And don't forget to attend Ridley Scott's wine fueled discussion at 9:00 PM. Bring your script and make the descriptions as ridiculous as possible. Not enough people laughing while reading scripts.
Lindelof: I don't think that there's a whole lot to change, I don't want to ruin this...
Studio: Do you want your name on the credits or not? *evil laugh*
Lindelof:

But all of that residual ANGER has to go somewhere... and
soon it becomes PASSIONATE. Borderline VIOLENT as they PULL
EACH OTHER’S CLOTHES OFF -- Goddamn, it is HOT.

Good enough?
Studio: PERFECT!

I won't turn this into a movie review, but as we all know, Prometheus, while visually stunning and all-around promising lacked in one area where it really counts - writing. Dubbed anything in the range of "could pass" to "shipwreck", Damon Lindelof's work on the movie was far from being critically acclaimed.

As you can't hide anything from the interwebz, the work by the original screenwriter, Jon Spaihts soon leaked. How do we know it's legit? He said so.

Some hilarious comparisons between the writing styles followed:

Lindelof on Vickers:

“Meet MEREDITH VICKERS. She could easily pass for forty,
though we suspect she’s a bit older. WHIP SMART, but as COLD
as she is SEXY.”

Spiaths on Vickers:

“Behind him stands DIRECTOR LYDIA VICKERS, a slim woman of 45
in a costly business suit. Shrewd and watchful. Once a great
beauty, she now trades in ruthlessness.”

I think this script would have made a better movie. Maybe it wouldn't avoid the onslaught of the critics, but the plot is more coherent, the characters are...well, less dumb, and there is more action (it reminded me of Aliens a bit). There are some new scenes in the final version of movie that were really great, most of them involving David the android. This makes the performance by Michael Fassbender (one of my favorite actors) a true beacon of excellence in this movie.

This script is different, but not different in a way that you should pick it up right now and let your jaw hit the floor, hence my recommendation to people geeking out on Alien such as myself.

[Peter Cawdron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the movie, by a long shot... I really enjoyed this. I'd heard the biblical references were overdone, but they weren't, they were handled quite adroitly in a plausible manner. And although there's a few (minor) weak points, over all this was considerably better than the movie. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is everything the movie could have been and should have been but wasn't. It makes a lot more sense.

I can understand why Ridley Scott changed this script, as he wanted to move away from the alien franchise of movies, and yet if that was the case he should have started from scratch. As it is, you can see when and where he departed from Spaiths script. Personally, I think if he'd stuck to this, he'd still have had a good branching point into the Engineer theme.

[Ben Chenoweth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this would have been a better movie. Instead, someone took this script, made a number of changes and the result was Prometheus, a movie I was reasonably disappointed by. Some of the characters in Prometheus did things without the viewer understanding movitations, and there were a few fairly large plot holes as well as a number of unexplained mysteries. By contrast, this script holds together extremely well and fits much better as a prequel to the original Alien movie. If you were disappointed by Prometheus, give this a read (it's a free download from here) and picture in your mind the movie that could have been!

[Susana Sussmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se trata del guión de lo que se hubiera convertido en la película Prometheus, precuela de Alien el octavo pasajero. Lo hubiera sido si luego no hubiera metido la mano otro escritor y hubiera cambiado un montón de cosas. No he visto la película, pero leí el resumen para ver qué cambios hubo. Creo que ninguna versión es mejor (o peor) que la otra. Pero es un guión y eso se nota, los personajes son meros actores, y eso no me termina de gustar. Pero al grano: Dos científicos descubren evidencia de que cada 1100 años hay un salto evolutivo en nuestra civilización y a la vez en nuestro genoma, deduciendo que nosotros somos la obra de una raza superior. Unas coordenadas y la evidencia de que hace varios miles de años que no volvieron a visitarnos llevan a un millonario a financiar una expedición en busca de esos seres. Seres que... ya no están. En cambio, encuentran otra cosa. Ya se imaginan qué. No más detalles para quienes no han visto la película ni han leído este engendro. Su mayor virtud: es súper corto. La segunda: es pura acción. No niego que me divertí, pero quede claro que el autor no sabe nada de ciencia ficción, verosimilitud ni creación de personajes.

[Anca Ralu · Rating 5 out of 5]

By comparison with Lindelof's script, this is an absolute 5/5. This could have been such a worthy Alien prequel.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gratamente sorprendido. Entiendo que esta historia es el guion casi final para realizar la precuela de Alien de 1979.

Que posteriormente fue "modificado" a : los requerimientos del productor R. Scott , las limitaciones del presupuesto , re-escritura por parte del guionista D. Lindelof.

Supongo que en algún "universo-alternativo" este guion termino convertido en la película.

Retomando el tema principal: Tiene suficientes ideas y tramas para ser una digna precuela de Alien.

[Andy Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's by far better than the movie Prometheus. Better pace, a more interesting story, more entertaining characters, and a frantic climax that doesn't give you a break. And although the protagonist has impenetrable plot armor, it didn't bother me at all because the development resolves doubts about Acheron (LV-426) and gave me good fan service. The Ultramorph as Final Boss was excellent although it lasted less than I expected.

[Ana Luiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

About a dozen times better than the actual movie.

[Matias · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't worse or better than Prometheus script. It's just different.

[J.M. Giovine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first draft of the script from the movie Prometheus, which I've got to say, I do enjoy. While not as strong as the first two Alien films, it does certainly possess enough content to work properly, that being said, I couldn't helped but to suspect there was more behind that film left behind. And I was right. This draft is everything we all fans hoped for this prequel; it does connect directly to the first Alien film and it does take advantage of its rich story and genre, taking the franchise in the beloved horror approach we all craved. The Engineers basic premise of the final film is here and the characters are quite similar and their respective faiths, but there's also Xenomorphs and direct connections to the franchise that complete the movie even more. Perhaps the only thing I genuinely missed from the movie is the character of DAVID , the Android, portrayed by Michael Fassbender in the film, as well as Noomi Rapace as the main lead. Both are uncomfortably dry characters in the Spaihts draft. But, what I enjoyed the most is how suspenseful and crude the final act in this version is, while in the movie it does work, here it all comes down into a final match for survival that would've worked way better in the final cut, and it certainly was perfect for Scott's direction. In the end, is a shame that most of this material was dumped, replaced with a more simplistic take, cause this script had potential. Hopefully, Covenant may bring us the astonishing sci fi-horror flick we all expect for next year, and that this movie could've been.

[Félix Marqués · Rating 4 out of 5]

This draft of the script for what would eventually become “Prometheus” holds the structure and themes of a much better movie than the disastrous, incongruent mess it would eventually become. It contains many gorgeous sci-fi concepts (the terraforming machines, the bioengineering, the enhanced vision of the Engineers and the goggles that mimic it) and eschews the clunky attempt at philosophy and religion in “Prometheus” in favor of a good, solid, horror sci-fi adventure story.

There are some problems with it: the dialogue is clunky at times, some of the scientific information is dropped at the wrong time or seems suspicious, many characters are insufficiently explored and there's an unpleasant sprinkling of sexism and objectification on top. But it's still a pretty good example of what a promising screenplay can be. This draft didn't have the myriad plot holes of the final screenplay, and it is far more coherent. It also contains far more awe, and more cool sci-fi concepts than most films ever get.

[DC Merryweather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not enormously different to the eventual Prometheus script, but it builds tension in some scenes, and generally hangs together better, than the version that was filmed. Spaiths - clearly under the impression he was hired to write an Alien prequel - also fills the final third with much trad xenomorph action, and ends it so it dovetails nicely with Ridley Scott's 1979 classic.
In the end, Scott and Daniel Lindelof tore out any scenes that they thought foreshadowed Alien and Aliens too closely, which is fine except they weren't replaced with anything meaty - or even coherent - enough, and Prometheus (which I actually quite like) bears the scars. Oh well, to read this entertaining and tightly woven story is to read what could have been.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharp, attractive and intelligent. As I haven't read any of Lindelof's scripts, I can't really compare this one to them, but a comparison with the movie favours Spaiths' version, with a more classical and logical approach to the story, much clearer in it explanations, lacking most of the points criticized in the film, and full of reminiscence to the very first "Alien" in 1979. It's not perfect, and it has a few minor issues and confusing parts, maybe due to its barroque nature, but as a whole, serves perfectly as a sci-fi/action script, as an extension of the Alien universe (that could very well compare to the one Cameron did in "Aliens"), and still as an introduction to the prequel saga that was supposed to follow. Not perfect, but still pretty good.