Alien vs. Predator

"Alien vs. Predator", or "Aliens versus Predator" (both titles abbreviated "AvP"), is a science fiction / horror fiction series spanning several media. The series is a crossover between two famous film franchises about extraterrestrial beings: the Aliens and the Predators. In "Alien vs. Predator", the two species are in conflict with one another.

History

The idea for such a crossover is often thought to have originated from a Xenomorph's skull being seen as one of the Predator's trophies in the film "Predator 2", but Dark Horse Comics published their first Alien vs. Predator story in Dark Horse Presents #36 (February 1990), almost one year before the November 1990 release of "Predator 2"Fact|date=September 2008. The film mentions idea of Erich Von Däniken that there were alien visitations in the past.

Currently, the Alien vs. Predator universe consists of a range of media including comics, novels, computer/video games, and feature films, the rights to which all belong to 20th Century Fox Studios. There have so far been two installments in the Alien vs Predator film franchise.

Media

Comics

* "Aliens vs. Predator"
* "Aliens vs. Predator vs. The Terminator"
* ""
* ""
* "Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator"
* ""

Books

A crossover novel series has been produced based on the two franchises. Other books include film novelizations and books looking at the background to the film's work with ADI (the special effects company who have worked on the Alien films):

* "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem - Inside the Monster Shop" (by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. , Design Studio Press, December 2007, ISBN 1933492554, Titan Books, January 2008, ISBN 1845769090)
* "Alien vs. Predator: The Creature Effects of ADI" (by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. , Design Studio Press, August 2004, ISBN 0972667652)
* "AVP: Alien vs. Predator - The Movie Novelization" (by Marc Cerasini, HarperEntertainment, June 2004, ISBN 0060735376)

Games

Several computer, console, hand-held, and card games were made for the Alien vs. Predator license, including:
* "Alien vs Predator (SNES)", a side-scrolling beat-em-up for the Super Nintendo
* "", a side-scrolling action game made in 1993
* "Alien vs. Predator (arcade game)", a side-scrolling beat-em-up made by Capcom in 1994
* "Alien vs Predator (Jaguar game)", a first-person shooter for the Atari Jaguar made in 1994
* "Alien vs Predator (Lynx game)", a first-person shooter planned for the Atari Lynx. Two distinct beta versions are known to exist.
* "Aliens versus Predator (computer game)"
* "Aliens versus Predator 2"
* ""
* ""
* "Alien vs Predator 2D"
* "Alien vs. Predator (mobile)"
* "Alien vs. Predator 3D"
* ""
* "Aliens vs. Predator Collectible Card Game"

Action figures

In 1994, Kenner released a collection of action figures known as "Aliens vs. Predator". This followed the two initial series of "Aliens" which were actually based on an animated series, "Operation: Aliens", that was never broadcast. As such, the inclusion of Predator is often considered the 3rd and 4th series of the "Aliens" line. This collection includes several Aliens, many of which feature built-in attack features, and Predators, which include removable masks and battle weapons such as spears and missile launchers. The figures generally possess 5 points of articulation, and some include a mini Dark Horse comic book.

While the collection as a whole is known as "Aliens vs. Predator", the two character types have their own card art that only features the character at hand. An exception would be the Aliens vs. Predator 2-pack. Since human space marines were included in the initial "Aliens" line, the Predator was marketed as an alternative enemy to the Aliens. A figure cardback reads::"The stage is set for the universe's two most ferocious enemies. It's the gruesome and evil Aliens against the big-game hunter Predator. Who will win... the beast or the hunter? Can the Predator stop the evil Aliens before the galaxy is destroyed?!?!?!" [ [http://www.dukenostalgia.com/Kscope/Predator/PR_index.html Duke Nostalgia's Predators Page] DukeNostalgia.com. Retrieved February 9, 2008.] [ [http://forumplanet.gamespy.com/community/b49024/19642521/p1/?4 "Classic Aliens vs Predator Nostalgia"] ForumPlanet.GameSpy.com (January 5, 2008). Retrieved February 9, 2008.]

The "Aliens: Hive Wars" series was released in 1995, which included various Aliens, Predators, and larger scaled space marines. More figures, including a female Predator and an Alien/Predator/Smash Mason 3-pack, were designed for this series but never released as part of the line.

Six sets of Aliens and Predator Micro Machines were also planned by Galoob in 1995 but never released. This would have also included the LV-426/Outer World Station Action Fleet Playset. Thanks in part to the research of toy collectors, many photos of these unreleased toys and prototypes have shown up on the Web in recent years. [Cawiezel, Marc H. [http://members.aol.com/earlvira/alienpredatortoys.htm "The History of Unproduced Alien and Predator Toys"] Members.AOL.com (October 29, 2006). Retrieved February 9, 2008.]

In December 2002, McFarlane Toys released a highly detailed "Alien vs. Predator" deluxe set. [Crawford, Michael [http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_121302b.htm Alien vs. Predator] MWCToys.com (December 13, 2002). Retrieved Retrieved February 9, 2008.] In 2004, they produced a series of figures based on the "Alien vs. Predator" film. This line, however, is notorious for its disastrously poor quality. Many accessory parts originally planned for inclusion were suddenly scrapped before their release, leaving the figures with shoddy and incomplete display bases. In addition, some figures even had broken parts within their packages. Alongside the articulated figures, McFarlane also released statuesque display sets depicting scenes from the film.

Hot Toys produced highly detailed 16' tall figures for every movie including "" in 2007. That same year, NECA released two series of "Requiem" figures. [ [http://www.collectiondx.com/node/2053 Alien Attacks Predator] CollectionDX.com (January 12, 2008). Retrieved February 9, 2008.]

Films

Official Films

* "Alien" - Ridley Scott's 1979 film.
* "Aliens" - James Cameron's 1986 sequel.
* "Predator" - The 1987 John McTiernan directed film.
* "Predator 2" - The 1990 Stephen Hopkins directed sequel.
* "Alien³" - The 1992 David Fincher's third installment to the Alien franchise.
* "" - The 1997 Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed film.
* "Alien vs. Predator" - Paul W.S. Anderson's 2004 "AvP" crossover film.
* "" - The Brothers Strause's 2007 crossover sequel.

Unofficial Films

* "" - Sandy Collora's 2003 fan film includes both the Xenomorphs and Yautja. The film is roughly based on Batman, Alien and Predator crossover comic books.
* "Alien 2" - Ciro Ippolito's 1980 unauthorized sequel to Alien.
* "Contamination" - Luigi Cozzi's 1980 unauthorized sequel to Alien, featuring Alien eggs, that spit acid which cause the affected human's chest to explode. This film is notable for featuring an Alien Queen which lays the eggs, though it does not resemble the Queen from Aliens which was released six years later.

Note on naming: Most recent AvP media and the earlier computer games use the singular form and the abbreviation, viz.: "Alien vs. Predator". By contrast, the novels use the plural ("Aliens vs. Predator"), while the later computer games use the plural and unabbreviated "versus" ("Aliens versus Predator"). The comics vary between the latter two.

Notes

References

*"Beautiful Monsters: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Alien and Predator Films" (by David A. McIntee, Telos, 272 pages, 2005, ISBN 1-903889-94-4)