[sbtrct]

I read a lengthy interview a few years ago with Fincher, and he essentially said that he knew Alien 3 was a disaster before they started shooting.

Although there was a large budget, he was viewed as an inexperienced director and the studio wouldn't give him enough money in one chunk to construct the sets he wanted.

This meant he had to make substantial compromises, particularly with respect to shooting the alien, and the lengthy takes he had planned simply weren't possible because he didn't have enough of a built set to shoot.