Overview

In 1986, James Cameron directed the one of the greatest sequels of all time, taking the characters, action, and design of Ridley Scott’s original Alien masterpiece to a new level - and we’ve been obsessed with it ever since.

Now it’s time to revisit LV-426 again, this time with a different mission…

Your Ultimate Companion to James Cameron’s Aliens

Written and Directed by Ian Nathan (Author, Alien Vault) and from the producers of In Search of Darkness I-III and In Search of Tomorrow, Aliens Expanded will be the ultimate companion to James Cameron’s Aliens, enhancing your viewing experience with new insights and revelations.

Now in pre-production, our early outreach has already added several key interviewees, including Jenette Goldstein, Mark Rolston, and Carrie Henn, and we’ll continue to add further top names from the cast and crew throughout the year.

Joining them will be a supporting cast of top critics, commentators, film historians, fellow filmmakers, scientists, comic-book writers and game designers, building up a detailed picture of the sheer impact this film has had on so many people.

But what will make this documentary truly unique, is that our analysis will be shaped, supported, and energized by the fan communities that Aliens has inspired. From the project's inception, we have worked directly with many of these groups and influencers (some of whom you will see in the documentary itself) to develop a concept that Aliens superfans will cherish.

Together, we will dig deep into the theories and opinions and pure passion that have built up around this masterpiece. Will you join us? Crowdfunding ends Oct. 1st!

The backbone of the documentary will be an analysis of the crucial scenes of Aliens in chronological order. Using an innovative graphical ‘scanner’ it will feel as if we are going inside the film to focus on not just scenes, but individual elements within those scenes, including characters, props, weaponry, sets, or specific story elements.

Along the way, we’ll build up a fresh and expanded take on the incredible story behind the film: the chance encounter that led to Cameron taking it on, the intense writing process, the intuitive casting of the marines, winning over Sigourney Weaver, finding Newt, the nightmare shoot, and the ultimate triumph. Famous tales will be retold, but enriched with contemporary perspectives.

But this isn’t just the story of Aliens - it’s also a story about how we relate to it. Together, we will investigate the broader elements of the Aliens experience, examining how our love of Cameron’s film, then and now, has been influenced by a wide range of factors, including:

The Original Marketing, including billboards, TV ads, trailers, magazine pieces, crazy photoshoots, newspaper ads, and talk show appearances in those terrible eighties suits
The Merchandising, including fanzines, apparel, Alan Dean Foster’s novelisation, and James Horner’s atmospheric soundtrack.
How The Expanded Universe, including the books, comics, video games, film sequels, cosplay, role-playing games, Mondo posters, toys, collectibles, enhanced our enjoyment.
And the Fan Communities and Websites that enable us to continue to show our appreciation for the film all these years later

Back at the 'Blu-ray Package' tier to get your Blu-ray, slipcase, posters, exclusive sew-on patch, commemorative mini-booklet and your name in the credits.

We Got Nukes, We Got Knives, Sharp Sticks…

In addition to the documentary itself (Digital or Factory-Pressed Blu-Ray) we have a wide range of highly-collectible physical rewards to thank our backers for their support:

Interviewees

Made For Fans, By Fans

CREATORVC is an independent producer of community-powered entertainment: long-form factual content that is funded, inspired, and shaped by a dedicated community of fans. Our projects include the critically acclaimed In Search of Darkness trilogy and the ‘80s Sci-Fi documentary In Search of Tomorrow.

The team working on this project includes:

Ian Nathan (Writer & Director) - Ian Nathan is one of the UK’s best-known film writers and commentators. He is the author of numerous books, including Alien Vault, and the upcoming James Cameron: A Retrospective, which will be published in October. He is also the former editor and executive editor of Empire, still one of the world’s biggest movie magazines, where he remains a contributing editor.

David Weiner (Executive Producer) - David Weiner is the writer/director of the five-hour ’80s Sci-Fi documentary In Search of Tomorrow, and of the ’80s horror genre documentaries In Search of Darkness Parts I-III. David was previously editor-in-chief of the iconic Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, a writer for The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision, senior editor at Entertainment Tonight for 13 years, and is a multiple Rondo Award nominee and winner.

Robin Block (Executive Producer) - Founder/CEO of CREATORVC, the world’s leading crowdfunded factual entertainment company. Robin is also the creator and Exec Producer of the critically acclaimed In Search of Darkness ‘80s horror documentary series and the '80s Sci-Fi retrospective In Search of Tomorrow.

Timeline

Aliens Expanded is currently in pre-production and we have just begun the process of reaching out to potential interviewees. We expect to go into production in early 2023 with an anticipated completion date of October 2023. This will mean backers will be able to stream the documentary in October 2023, and physical items would then ship in December 2023.

These dates are estimates and may change due to production or manufacturing delays. We will regularly provide backers with updates on our schedule and let you know if we anticipate a change in our timeline.

Fulfilment

Shipping: Shipping is charged at the point of fulfilment at cost (your shipping cost will be the price we pay and we will not make profit on it). In the current economic climate, shipping costs are fluctuating and hard to predict. Delaying payment for shipping benefits both sides as we avoid overcharging (bad for you) and undercharging (bad for our documentary budget).

We expect shipping prices to be $10.50 for domestic (US) and $18.75 for international orders

Fulfilment: Our physical rewards will be manufactured and shipped from California by a trusted partner who we have previously worked with. Blu-rays are factory pressed and manufactured to the highest standard possible (the same standard as AAA releases). Backers will receive a tracking number and our items are sent in very study packaging (posters rolled, not folded) to ensure everything arrives with you safely.

Soundtrack

We’ve partnered with our friends at New Retro Wave again to curate our official soundtrack. NewRetroWave is one of the leading voices in the emerging Synthwave scene, providing exposure to Synthwave artists who perfectly complement the ‘80s aesthetic we’re celebrating.

The Small Print

We have accurately portrayed our project as it stands at this point in time, however, creative projects are subject to change and ours is no exception. By making a pledge you acknowledge that elements of the project, including but not limited to the artwork, cast, and content, is subject to change, and that the final project may differ from what is presented while the crowdfunding campaign is active.

All backers are welcome to join our community and community events, but to do so they must conform to the community rules which govern appropriate behavior. Repeated failure to act appropriately will result in a ban.