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B-17 segment... the lost script that became Alien

posted 12 years ago by barbieri_f
12 replies | jump to latest

I can't find this info elsewhere, maybe this should be a Trivia addition... maybe this is only interesting to me 'cause I'm an Alien fanatic ;)

I never watched Heavy Metal, but watching Nostalgia Critic's review I immediately noticed something very familiar in the B-17 segment. I searched IMDB to see if Dan O'Bannon was involved in some way, and here he was, listed as writer for that segment. It didn't surprise me one bit.

O'Bannon's masterpiece Alien was based on an early script he wrote about a B-17 goin' on a bombing mission in World War 2. Suddenly (if I remember well, when the plane is struck a lightning) a Gremlin jumps on the plane and starts making his way through the giant plane, killing the crew one by one. The pilots try to fight the monster and make barricades so that he doesn't reach the cockpit.

Of course the B-17 in Heavy metal has zombies and it's very, very short but you can clearly see the origin of that story - and, as Doug Walker said, it's got some great potential. Too bad they never made a movie about it!

[–] Adam-544-31268 12 years ago

B-17's aren't that big, they're pretty confined. If they did one on an RAF Lancaster at night it would be more scary. With a B-17 there aren't many places to hide, except the Ball turret.

Insert witty joke here

[–] barbieri_f 12 years ago

Yes, I always tought a B-17 would be too little for that kind of story... still, we don't know much about the original script.

[–] Mad Dog McLagan 12 years ago

I thought it was a B-52...

EDIT: Don't bother correcting me. Made a derp.

I suspect the problem is that you have too many paperclips up your nose

[–] Adam-544-31268 12 years ago

HA-HA-HA!
Please tell me that you know the difference between a B-17 and a B-52.

Insert witty joke here

[–] Mad Dog McLagan 12 years ago

Yeah, B-17 was a standard bomber B-52 was the 'flying fortress'. I just thought it would have made sense for the segment to be in a much bigger plane than a B-17...

(To go back a step... B-17 is the plane from Catch 22 as well, right? I'm not great with planes..)

I suspect the problem is that you have too many paperclips up your nose

[–] Adam-544-31268 12 years ago

Catch 22 they were B-25 Mitchell's (twin engined light bomber only used in the Med, Pacific and CBI theatre).
The B-17 was the Flying Fortress (four piston engined WWII bomber)
The B-52 was the Stratofortress (eight jet engined Cold War bomber, still flying today).

Insert witty joke here

[–] Epitaph78 12 years ago

difference between a B-17 and a B-52?? easy... a Northrop B-35 ^.^

[–] 06986 11 years ago

The B-52 is powered jet engines and is much larger then a B-17 which is prop driven. B-17 was a bomber during WWII, WWII and a B-17 is when/where "Gremlins" is supposed to be set. The B-52 was put into service well after WWII. The biggest bomber used in WW2 was the B-29 Flying Fortress, it was much larger then a B-17 or B-24 Liberator. The B-29 dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, they were bigger then Lancaster's and Sterling's. A B-29 would be a great choice to have a "Gremlin" movie set in as they were big enough to make it more interesting.

[–] weirdozmedia 11 years ago

Kinda sounds like he just took the classic Twilight Zone episode plot ("there's a creature on the wing!") and set it in WW2

..or maybe not lol http://www.studiorecordingtools.com/shopping

[–] cvincent1 10 years ago

Now if you'd tried linking the taxi driver segment with The Fifth Element, you'd have something!

[–] Sick-Dale 10 years ago

Way to connect your illusional world and write about it like those were true facts,dear assburgers syndrome guy.

On his way down past each floor,
he kept saying to reassure himself
So far so good...

[–] nakedgirl 8 years ago

B-17's are tough