'Alien vs. Predator' Land Killed by Disney, Attractions and Experiences Scrapped

There was once an Alien vs. Predator land that was close to becoming a reality in the world of Disney. But the House of Mouse had other plans and canceled everything. But not before concept artwork and more could be released to the public.

We now have all the information on what could have been for this now-dead Disney Park experience.

The Predator in the original 1987 film — Credit: 20th Century Fox

The Canceled ‘Alien Vs’ Predator Disney Almost Greenlit

An Alien vs. Predator theme park land was in the works for Malaysia before Disney intervened, forcing the project to be scrapped. The planned land was set to be a key attraction at 20th Century Fox World, a theme park announced in 2015.

However, after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019, a legal battle ensued, resulting in changes to the park’s name and a retheming of the Alien land.

The park eventually opened in 2022 as Genting SkyWorlds in Pahang, Malaysia. The Alien vs. Predator Land would have featured multiple rides and an immersive restaurant modeled after the spaceship Nostromo, providing fans of the franchise a dedicated theme park experience.

Previously, Alien was represented in The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World and featured at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.

However, the proposed Genting SkyWorlds land would have been the most significant theme park tribute to the iconic sci-fi films to date. Concept art and details of the canceled Alien vs. Predator land have surfaced, thanks to a report by AVP Galaxy. The highlight of the project was set to be an E-ticket dark ride and coaster, titled AvP: Descent Into Darkness.

A futuristic scene unfolds with a large robotic creature in the center, captivating visitors like a Disney attraction. Surrounded by people inside a circular, neon-lit building, arched entrances and glowing tech elements set the stage against a vibrant pink and blue sci-fi sky. — Credit: AVPGalaxy.net

The ride was designed by Dynamic Attractions and would have featured innovative elements like the Tumble Table, Tilt ‘n’ Drop, and Side Slide, blending practical sets with screen-based effects, similar to Universal Orlando Resort’s Revenge of the Mummy and Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts.

The ride would have also included a vertical drop and outdoor segments, adding to the thrill. Photos and 3D renderings of partially completed elements of the ride reveal that Disney halted construction after significant progress had been made.

Animatronic Aliens, ride vehicles, and elaborate set pieces were already in various stages of development. According to sources who worked on the project, guests would have entered a Weyland-Yutani mining facility on a distant planet, which served as a front for the company’s hunt for Aliens. During their expedition, guests would discover a Predator pyramid, the main setting for the ride.

The queue for the ride would have been split into two sections. In the first, guests would be welcomed into the industrial mining facility, complete with metal walls, concrete floors, and ceiling columns.

The second section would transition to a laboratory, featuring dissected Alien specimens and CCTV footage of a scientist conducting check-ins for miners. Guests would then board mining vehicles for their journey into the pyramid, encountering Xenomorphs, Predators, and a series of high-intensity coaster elements along the way.

In a futuristic, dimly lit hall reminiscent of Disney attractions, a robotic figure stands on a platform amid intriguing architectural elements. The mysterious, sci-fi ambiance evokes an Alien vs. Predator vibe with its teal and dark tones throughout. — Credit: AVPGalaxy.net

The AvP: Descent Into Darkness ride was designed to be a groundbreaking experience, combining fast-paced coaster thrills with immersive storytelling and cutting-edge animatronics.

One of AVP Galaxy’s sources described the ride as a “truly innovative coaster that fit the storyline of the IP perfectly” and an “extraordinary experience” that would have excited roller coaster fans and Alien vs. Predator enthusiasts alike. The original ride concept included encounters with facehuggers, a climactic battle with the Alien Queen, and a narrow escape with the help of a Predator.

Guests would exit the ride through a gift shop styled as a mining tunnel and temple, complete with a Predator and Xenomorph statue centerpiece. Despite the project’s cancellation, some aspects of the ride design survived. The SFX coaster, which was set to be the centerpiece of the “Alien vs. Predator” land, is still under construction, now rethemed as Descent Into Darkness.

However, the ride’s original backstory and connection to the Alien franchise have been replaced with a more generic space-themed narrative. Dynamic Attractions, the company behind the coaster, has faced financial struggles in recent years, including bankruptcy.

Their first SFX coaster, Mission Ferrari in Dubai, opened in 2023, but the company’s difficulties impacted the future of the Malaysian project.

A schematic of a roller coaster track layout at a Disney attraction, with blue lines showing the twists and loops. The layout includes points labeled "Load," "Launch," "Unload," "Side Slide," and "Outside Portion," highlighting various parts of the track. — Credit: AVPGalaxy.net

The second major attraction for the “Alien vs. Predator” land was an elevator drop ride that had actually been completed before Disney’s intervention. Originally, the ride was designed as the Terraform Tower Challenge, a Weyland-Yutani VIP tour of a terraforming tower.

However, all Alien references were removed, and the attraction opened with a different theme, offering guests a drop experience without any connection to the Xenomorph lore.

In the original narrative, guests would have been greeted by a Weyland-Yutani representative named Zara, who introduced them to the company’s terraforming operations.

After boarding the ride, guests would experience a malfunction that led to a harrowing encounter with Xenomorph eggs and warriors. Despite the re-theming, some of the original ride elements — including the elevator’s drop sequences — were retained in the final version of the attraction.

Other parts of the canceled land included rides centered around the United States Colonial Marines, with a spinning flat ride, Colonial Fighter Pilots, and a ropes course and zipline, Marine Boot Camp Challenge.

These attractions were rebranded and opened as Alpha Fighter Pilots and Boot Camp Training, removing any reference to the Alien universe. Although the original “Alien vs. Predator” concept never came to fruition, the ambitious plans for the land and its attractions continue to capture the imagination of fans.