A rare version of the Alien costume from Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 sci-fi/horror film is going up for auction, providing fans with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The alien, known officially as the Xenomorph, remains one of the most instantly recognizable villains in cinema, thanks to its lethal demeanor and horrific appearance.
Forty years after its arrival in cinemas, Alien remains just as gripping as it ever was. The film has obviously been expanded into a franchise in the decades since its debut, and not all of those films are necessarily big favorites among fans. Yet, despite debates over which film in the series was a misstep, one thing fans and critics always seem to be able to agree over is that the Xenomorph is a brilliantly realized character. It’s hard to deny that the merciless extra-terrestrial revolutionized both the horror and sci-fi genres, while simultaneously altering cinema. There’s really no way to accurately measure how phenomenal the creation of the Xenomorph and Alien was, except to point out that aside from the popularity of the films, fans and collectors alike love anything Xenomorph related.
Now, thanks to an upcoming Los Angeles auction, a very rare Alien prop is about to go up for sale. News of the auction comes courtesy of Rolling Stone, with the prop in question a very early, translucent Xenomorph prototype. The prop didn’t actually make it into the final cut of Alien, however. Scott eventually rejected it in favor of the now very familiar version of the creature. Instead it was used during preproduction and for some camera tests, and has long been believed to either be lost or destroyed. The full-length prop will go to auction at the upcoming Julien’s Auctions’ Hollywood Legends and Luminaries Auction, which runs from April 28th-29th. It is expected to fetch a price somewhere in the neighborhood of $60,000.
This isn’t the first time that memorabilia from the Alien franchise has gone up for auction. Back in 2004, a functioning hydraulic model of the chest burster was sold at a London auction to singer Chris de Burgh for £29,875 ($41,794 USD). The film franchise’s props seem to be some of the more popular draws at memorabilia auctions around the world – a fact that further underscores Scott’s creation and the substantial fanbase it maintains. And while these props may be pricey, they are part of a rich cinematic history that should be preserved.
Then again, it’s understandable why some diehard Alien fans might be annoyed by the auction of the Xenomorph prototype. Simply because someone might have the sort of disposable income that could allow them to drop sixty grand on a prop isn’t really enough reason to cater an auction toward them. For the average fan, this latest Alien prop is well out of the realm of possibility. Still, it’s pretty great to know that such a downright cool part of Alien wasn’t destroyed or lost, and that it still exists.
Source: Rolling Stone