An ‘Alien Nation’ Remake Is on the Way From the Writers of ‘Iron Man’

You might not remember Alien Nation, the 1988 sci-fi buddy cop film which paired a human police officer with an alien partner in a not-too-distant future. The film, originally produced by The Walking Dead and Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd, isn’t a film that immediately shouts “remake” — it’s not based on a comic book, existing franchise, superhero, toy, YA novel or a film that makes thirtysomethings feel nostalgic. But if you’re determined to remake a movie, this is the kind of movie that feels okay to remake.

According to THR, Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have signed on to deliver a screenplay for a remake of Alien Nation. Marcum and Holloway also wrote the screenplay for Punisher: War Zone and took a pass at the upcoming Highlander reboot.

1988's Alien Nation was set in a future where aliens immigrate to earth and form an uneasy relationship with the human population, who keep their new inhabitants segregated in a separate colony and refuse to give them the same rights afforded to most people. (You know, just like District 9.) After years of this quarantined environment, the humans begin allowing aliens to slowly integrate with the rest of the population. James Cann plays an insensitive human cop whose new partner is an alien, played by Mandy Patinkin. The pair soon overcome their differences when faced with a particularly tough case.

There’s an interesting angle involving race and prejudice, as well as the potential to make a fun buddy cop movie pairing two incredibly unlikely partners together. But if you want a really great buddy cop movie about an alien and a human working together, I highly recommend the 1987 film The Hidden, starring Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri. Just something to think about.