28 Years Later director Danny Boyle on why he skipped the Alien franchise: "I didn’t do Alien and I went and made this flop for them instead."

It's widely documented that the chest-bursting alien is a tricky beast to tame, but one that Danny Boyle came very close to handling. Back when 20th Century Fox was trying to figure out a way of bringing Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) back from the dead in Alien: Resurrection, the Trainspotting director was at the top of their list to helm the acid-soaked nightmare that also starred Winona Ryder and Ron Perlman. Boyle told The Hollywood Reporter just how close he got, even going as far as meeting the film's stars before having second thoughts.

"I met Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder, who were attached to it. So obviously it was pretty serious. They were wonderful. But it was the early days of the CG crossover. That moment where it was transitioning. And I couldn’t handle the CG," Boyle recalled.

By the sounds of things, Boyle's head took over what his creative heart was far more desperate to get to work on. "I was very passionate about it, because I loved the Alien idea. I just suddenly had a rare moment of clarity, thinking, ‘You are not the right guy for this,'" he recalled. "I went off to make A Life Less Ordinary instead. That was 20th Century folks as well. I didn’t do Alien, and I went and made this flop for them instead! But it’s water under the bridge.”

Alien isn't the only franchise Boyle passed on, with the most recent being Daniel Craig's last run at James Bond in No Time to Die. That departure was also due to creative differences, adding to the pile of wonderful what-ifs we never saw answered. Thankfully, he's deeply invested in bringing the pulse-pounding zombie franchise back to life with 28 Years Later, which will be part of a brand new trilogy, continuing with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple set for release on January 16, 2026, which he'll be producing while Nia DaCosta directs. While you wait, why not check out our list of other directors who dropped out of high-profile movies here.