Podcast
99% Invisible
The novelization of Alien was considered a classic. It avoided describing the alien in detail, as the author was denied access to the creature during the writing process, and the screenplay provided little information.
So I found this old article about Alan Dean Foster who wrote the novelization and he says he went to the studio and was like, hey, can I see the alien? And they said no.
— Episode: Mini-Stories: Volume 9
Episode: Mini-Stories: Volume 9
The novelization of Alien was considered a classic. It avoided describing the alien in detail, as the author was denied access to the creature during the writing process, and the screenplay provided little information.
So I found this old article about Alan Dean Foster who wrote the novelization and he says he went to the studio and was like, hey, can I see the alien? And they said no.
There was a vague suggestion of something tall and heavy. This is a bit later on. Above the helpless figure was a faint outline, something man-shaped, but definitely not a man.
And that novelization of Alien is seen as a classic of the genre. It was an actual bestseller.