Bill Paxton didn’t appear in Alien Vs Predator: Requiem, but if the actor’s planned cameo has come to fruition he would have been the first actor killed by an Alien, Predator, and their unholy hybrid the Predalien. When director Paul W.S. Anderson’s Alien Vs Predator arrived in cinemas in 2004, the sci-fi crossover failed to earn the fanfare the previous year’s slasher match-up Freddy Vs Jason received. There was one obvious reason for the failure of the (still-underrated) Alien Vs Predator, and it was the movie’s inexplicable PG-13 rating that sanitized the film’s gory potential.

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Prior Alien and Predator installments boasted an R-rating, so many viewers and critics complained Alien Vs Predator’s family-friendly rating missed the mark for the dark tone of both franchises. The 2007 sequel, Alien Vs Predator: Requiem, thus provided a veritable bloodbath of mean-spirited gore – and still ended up receiving worse reviews than its predecessor. To date, the sequel is still considered the nadir for both franchises.

Alien Vs Predator: Requiem fell flat upon release despite its vastly increased gore quotient, with the lifeless characters, predictable plot, and bizarrely poor lighting ruining both the Xenomorph and Predator as well as their monstrous hybrid, the Predalien. However, the original plans for the sequel were actually pretty promising. These include a nixed appearance from the long hinted-at Xenomorph homeworld, a darker alternate ending, and even a cameo from Bill Paxton that would have seen the cult actor pull off an impressive, multi-franchise trifecta.

Bill Paxton was approached about shooting a cameo as a chef named Ritchie in Alien Vs Predator: Requiem, but unfortunately, it didn’t come to pass. Had Paxton made it into the sequel, though, he would have become the only actor to appear in the Alien, Predator, and Alien Vs Predator movies – and his impressive achievement wouldn’t have ended there. Although the bleak alternate ending of Alien Vs Predator: Requiem proves the movie wouldn’t necessarily have been helped by a higher body count, Paxton’s cameo would have netted him a killer franchise record.

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The cameo that never was would have seen Bill Paxton being the only performer killed by a Xenomorph, a Predator, and Alien Vs Predator: Requiem‘s hybrid Predalien. This already impressive record would only be heightened by the fact another Paxton character was killed by The Terminator, too. In both Aliens and Predator 2, Paxton’s characters go down fighting, running headlong into the path of the murderous title monsters to help their allies. In contrast, Paxton dies in James Cameron’s original 1984 The Terminator via a more muted wall impact.

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Cathal Gunning
(1446 Articles Published)

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies and TV online since 2020. His obsessions include The Simpsons, Stephen King, the Scream series, and the horror genre in general. He has spent more time thinking about Stranger Things than the writers of Stranger Things, and he has never seen a Star War.

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