There were multiple scripts in play after Gibson departed the project. The first, still operating under the original concept pushed by Walter Hill and David Giler of Brandywine Productions, was crafted by writer of "The Hitcher" Eric Red. The idea of bringing on a horror writer might have seemed appealing, especially one who could work to both budget and deadline, but the result was so unsatisfactory that Red himself referred to his work as "the one script I completely disown because it was not 'my script.'" Both Red and his script were dropped, along with the concept of two films.
There's one other player we have not discussed yet: the film's initial director. Rather than Ridley Scott, Renny Harlin was brought in after the success of his work on "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master." Throughout the complications with scripts, Harlin remained on board the project up until this point — that, however, was about to change.
David Twohy (who had already successfully crafted the sequel to "Critters") was the writer who both came aboard next and also introduced the setting of a prison planet. It was also around this time that an agreement was made to place Ellen Ripley back as the focal point of the story.
However, somewhat simultaneously, a new director, Vincent Ward, was hired. Together with writer John Fasano, another script about monks on an all-wooden monastery was crafted. Once Twohy caught wind of a competing script, he ditched the project. Shortly thereafter, Ward's team also left the project when it was decided that his all-wooden set design idea was too much style over substance.
