Alien: Romulus - Ridley sees an early cut of the film

leading from

Alien: Romulus

 

a) Showing the first cut to Ridley

Fede thought it would be nice to show it around and show it to everybody at the same time, but he felt that Ridley had to see it first. 

Once he saw it, Fede would want to go and see him right away. He thought that when Ridley stepped out of the movie, Fede would be ready at the table to take whatever response Ridley would give .

If Ridley hated it, Fede would do what he could to make it better

1. Fede Alvarez: It's nice to show it around and show it to everybody at the same time, but I felt like he really has to see it first. He saw it and I wanted to go see him right away, I was like I want him to see it and when he steps out of the movie I'll be ready at the table to take it. (https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-advice-fede-alvarez-095908294.html) 

b) What can I say? It's fucking great!

Ridley Scott viewed a cut of the film alone. He then walked into the room for a meeting and sat down next to Fede and gave Alvarez his thoughts.

Ridley said "Fede, what can I say? It's fucking great," and then he said “You have a big movie here.” 

It seemed that Ridley believed that the movie would do well.

He continued “I think it just can do as well as Prometheus did.” 

Fede could only hope he was right, but att the time he thought  was going to be a smaller movie for the horror community, with all the horror audience showing up and nothing more. It would instead become an event movie.

Fede's family would come to know it would be one of the best moments of his life to have a master like him, who he admired so much, to even watch a movie he made… but particularly something like this… and then talk to him for an hour about what he liked about it.

Ridley then said "The dialogue is great. Are you the writer?"

Fede's response, taking it as one of the best compliments was "Yes!"

Ridley at some point them looked at Fede and said tongue in cheek, "You stole my ideas" 

Fede's response to that was "Your ideas are the best ones. That's what people want to see." 

But it seemed that a part of Ridley just wanted me to just take it in a different direction. 

Fede asked about wha Ridley thought of the Offspring at the end. 

At this point, it was the first cut that was slightly different where there was a progression of the design my instinct was that you need to keep evolving so the head starts to grow and when we saw it outside the ship it was almost turned into a xenomorph, it was like the strongest DNA was winning.  That was a cut he saw. He didn't like it. 

At this point in time, the cut was slightly different as there was a progression in the design, Fede's instinct was that the creature needed to keep evolving so that the head starts to grow and when it's seen outside of the spaceship, it had almost turned into a xenomorph 

Ridley's response to it was "Didn't love it" 

It appeared that everything that Fede tried to do new, Ridley didn't love, but the things that were classic, Ridley wasn't happy that Fede stole from him.

 

1. Fede Alvarez: If he hates it, he will tell me and I'll do whatever I can to make it better. And he just came to the meeting and sat next to me, looked at me and was like: 'What can I say? It's f***ing great.' (https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-advice-fede-alvarez-095908294.html)
2. Fede Alvarez: It was the best day of my life, it really was. I was so happy because to go show it and say 'this is how I think Alien should be done this year' it's quite a thing to do, and I was so happy that he liked it. (https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-advice-fede-alvarez-095908294.html)  
3. Empire: Did Ridley who produced ever say to you "You can't improve on what I did?
   Fede Alvarez:  Funnily enough, it was kind of the other way around.. When he saw it, he really liked it. But he looked at me and said tongue in cheek, "You stole my ideas" I was like "Your ideas are the best ones. That's what people want to see." But part of him just wanted me to just take it in a different direction. I remember asking him about the Offspring at the end and he was like "didn't love it." I think everything I tried to do new, he didn't love and the things that were classic, he wasn't happy that I stole from him! But I love that man to death. (Empire March, 2025)
   
4. Empire: I would have thought he would have loved The Offspring because it has the Engineers face and keeps a flame of Prometheus alive. "
   Fede Alvarez: In his defence, that was when he saw the first cut and the first cut was slightly different there was a progression of the design my instinct was that you need to keep evolving so the head starts to grow and when we saw it outside the ship it was almost turned into a xenomorph, it was like the strongest DNA was winning.  That was a cut he saw. He didn't like it. (Empire March, 2025)
5. Entertainment Weekly: After Scott viewed the film alone, he gave Álvarez his thoughts. "He walks into the room and he did say, 'Fede, what can I say? It's fucking great,'" Álvarez recalled. "For me it was like… My family knows it was one of the best moments of my life to have a master like him, who I admired so much, to even watch a movie I made… but particularly something like this… and talk to me for an hour about what he liked about it. One of the best compliments he said was, 'The dialogue is great. Are you the writer?' Yes!"(https://ew.com/movies/ridley-scott-thinks-new-alien-movie-great/ August 2024)
6. Fede Alvarez: I remember what his first reaction was: he walked in, and he said, “What can I say? It’s fucking great.” And then he said, “You have a big movie here.” He really believed that the movie would do great. He told me, “I think it just can do as well as Prometheus did.” I hope he’s right. And he said it at the time when I thought this was gonna be smaller and more for the horror community. All horror audience shows up and no more. I didn’t see it as an event movie like I think is becoming right now. (https://collider.com/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-reaction, August 2024)

 

c) Handed notes

c.i)  Armed with a notepad

Fede had a notepad and pen next to him just so when he heard what Ridley had to say about the film, he could write it down

But Ridley told him "You don’t have to take a note, but I’ll tell you what I think." 

Fede understood clearly that Ridley was  80-something years old and that he had so much experience so clearly, he knows a thing or two. 

c.ii) Enraged reaction

Fede then read them privately, kicked the wall, punched the door and then came back out.

As far as Fede understood, Ridley would have known that every director when they were given notes would get mad. 

Of course he was not getting mad at Ridley, but Fede understood that no director loved to get a set of notes, wherever they came from. 

Director's don't like notes

c.iii) Reasons for rage

Ridley assumed that Fede went mad because of the notes, and for all Fede knew, he could have been right.

Whenever Fede was being told to take a look at this or take another look at that, when it came to his films, he response would have been "What?". 

But it was his natural reaction showing that he cared and was passionate about his film, and such a reaction was certainly not joyful

Ridley also made the a suggestion to Fede to cut down the film because he noticed that directors tend to make it too long;  and Ridley was concerned about the dynamics being lost. 

The dynamics in this kind of movie would have been everything, and Fede had so much going on; so he didn’t need so much. 

c.iv) They had a healthy conversation going back and forth where Ridley made Fede see things that he needed to address, but there were other things that Fede plainly disagreed with. Fede would stick to his guns on things that he felt were important, no matter what he was being told was wrong. He felt that no one wanted a director that was addressing all the notes. His idea that was that even though producers expected the director to follow the notes, the director ought to have a strong point of view himself and fight for his idea of the movie.

1. Ridley Scott: I was hugely relieved that it was potentially a huge film and I just said, ‘You don’t have to take a note, but I’ll tell you what I think.(https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ridley-scott-alien-romulus-notes-fede-alvarez-1235972827/)  
2. Hollywood Reporter: The filmmaker explained that he wrote down notes instead of saying them aloud to Álvarez, “then he reads them privately, kicks the wall, punches the door, and then comes back out and said, ‘They were good notes.'” Scott also made a suggestion to cut down the film, noting, “Directors tend to make it too long; it was long so you don’t want to lose your dynamic. The dynamics in this kind of movie are everything, and he had so much going on; he didn’t need so much.”  (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ridley-scott-alien-romulus-notes-fede-alvarez-1235972827/)  
3. Fede Alvarez: When I had the pitch first, then when I had a 10-pager, then when I had the first draft, then when I had a shooting draft, et cetera. When I had the cut of the film, I sent the movie to him. He was in the theater, and I wanted to see him right away. I really wanted to get his fresh reaction out of the film and what he felt. I went to see him, sat down, waited on the table, I had a notepad and a pen next to me just waiting just to hear whatever he had to say to write it down.(https://collider.com/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-reaction August 2024)
4. Fede Alvarez:  But we had we had a healthy back and forth where he made me see things that I needed to address and then other things that I just plainly disagree [with]. I do what I think a director should do, which is stick to your guns on things that are important. No matter who’s telling you that you’re wrong, you have to stick to your guns otherwise you just reacting, and no one wants a director that is just addressing all the notes. Even though the producers do sometimes think they would, they don’t. The director has a strong point of view and will fight for his idea of the movie.” (https://collider.com/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-reaction, August 2024)
5. Fede Alvarez:  He’s 80-something years old and he had so much experience so clearly, he knows a thing or two. We went into the details and he, towards the end of the process of a cut, will give me a lot of notes. He said in an interview on the red carpet that he would give the notes to get me mad. He doesn’t say that because I got mad at him or anything. He says that because he’s a director. He knows that every director when you get your notes, you get mad. You hate notes. No director loves to get a set of notes. It doesn’t matter who they come from. He assumes that I got mad at the notes, and he must be right. I don’t love notes because when I put a movie forward, I’m saying this is the movie . Anything that is like, you need to take a look at this or take another look at that. I just get like, “What?” But that’s a natural reaction if you really care and you’re passionate about your film. You’ll have a reaction that is not joyful. No one loves notes. (https://collider.com/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-reaction, August 2024)

 

d) Showing it to Alex Garland

Fede's editor had just seen the movie Civil War and knew Alex Garland who wrote and directed it, having a good relationship with him.

Fede screened the movie for Alex Garland. 

His response was "every line that connects to the classics just turns me off" 

Fede's response was near enough "you got to be really an expert to make those connections."

Fede's own instincts told him that it should be fun and then again,  every time he watched it with an audience, there’s no way they wouldn’t cheer at that. 

Then the other ones didn’t hurt anybody that didn’t know their things by heart, and the script defense as well.

But Alex's response to the offsping at the end was "Don't change the creature. Don't let it evolve into a xenomorph" and so Fede took note.  

1. Fede Alvarez: And what sealed the deal was we screened the movie for Alex Garland and Alex said 'Don't change the creature. Don't let it evolve into a xenomorph."(Empire March, 2025) 
2. Fede Alvarez: But anyways that was one of them but I remember like Alex Garland was one of the first directors that has seen it because my editor had caught Civil War and had a good relationship with him. So, he showed it to him and that was Alex’s big note and he was right.

   He was like every line that connects to the classics just turns me off but at same time I was like you got to be really an expert to make those connections. For me a lot of it was just the pleasure of doing it but he definitely complained about that one but then it’s like what I think. It would be my instinct told me it should be fun and then again, like I said every time I watch it with an audience, there’s no way they don’t cheer at that. Then the other ones don’t hurt anybody that don’t know their things by heart right and the script defense as well. (https://www.avpgalaxy.net/website/interviews/fede-alvarez/)
   

    

e) Taking time off before the final edit

If Fede could stop looking at it for a while and come back to it, he would make it so much better. 

He heard about how Martin Scorsese would purposely take six months off in the middle of the process just to be objective 

So he did that during the Christmas holidays. He took a month off from the movie and went away and came back, and Fede found that advice to be good

1. Fede Alvarez: He said the director should not be editorial all the time because you lose objectivity with your film, If you can stop looking at it for a while and come back to it, you will make it so much better. So I did that during the [Christmas] holidays. I took a month off from the movie and went away and came back… That was great advice he gave me. (https://www.nme.com/news/film/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-advice-martin-scorsese-3783063)
2. NME: Scott’s contemporary, Martin Scorsese, has also been known to enjoy long breaks during production. “I heard he purposefully takes six months in the middle of the process just to be objective,” added Alvarez, “and then he comes back to finalise it. It’s important because if you lose perspective about what the thing actually is you cannot make a good film.” (https://www.nme.com/news/film/alien-romulus-ridley-scott-advice-martin-scorsese-3783063)