David Giler (July 23, 1943 – December 19, 2020) was an American filmmaker who has been active in the motion picture industry since the early 1960s. He started his career as a writer, providing scripts for television programs such as Kraft Suspense Theatre and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He then moved to screenplays in the 70's, helping to write films such as The Parallax View and the original version of Fun With Dick and Jane. He produced his first film in 1970, the critically reviled Myra Breckinridge, an adaptation of Gore Vidal's controversial novel (he also co-wrote the film with director Michael Sarne). He helped Walter Hill produce the legendary horror thriller Alien in 1979, and it is for this film that he is probably best remembered. He and Hill became embroiled in a much-publicized behind-the-scenes fight with Alien's original writer, Dan O'Bannon, over who was to receive screenplay credit. Giler and Hill claim that they completely rewrote the script from top to bottom, and therefore they wanted to relegate O'Bannon to a "story by" credit only. O'Bannon claims that they did little more than change the names of the characters and dialogue, and felt that the two were trying to bully him out of the more prestigious screenplay credit. As evidenced by the interviews on the supplemental DVD features, the two parties were extremely antagonistic when it comes to this topic (O'Bannon has since died), though O'Bannon was the only one to receive credit for the screenplay in the final film. The various drafts can be found online, allowing audiences to decide for themselves. Giler worked with Hill on several more projects, including the continuation of the Alien franchise. The two were responsible for the final and very controversial rewrite of the Alien 3 story which killed off the Bishop, Hicks and Newt characters from Aliens. Some of the films that he wrote during this period include The Money Pit, Southern Comfort, and an uncredited rewrite for Beverly Hills Cop II. He also directed one film, The Black Bird (1975). Description above from the Wikipedia article David Giler, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 23, 1943
- December 19, 2020 (aged 77)
- New York City, New York
- Producer and writer, also actor
- 27 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Known for
What are David Giler's films like?
Across their 27 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Power.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 6 · Wry 3 · Earnest 18
A split, not a type: Light 10 · Serious 7 · Dark 10
Grounded 8 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 9
A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 10 · Intense 13
Steady 7 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 4
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 6
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 3
A split, not a type: Casual 11 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 7
A split, not a type: Easy watch 11 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 6
Resolved 21 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 4
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic4
- Ambiguous5
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch David Giler's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (7).
Subscription and free streaming for David Giler's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
32 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Alien: Covenant(2017)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Prometheus(2012)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Alien vs. Predator(2004)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Ritual(2002)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Undisputed(2002)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Alien: Resurrection(1997)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Perversions of Science (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Bordello of Blood(1996)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
W.E.I.R.D. World(1995)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Dragstrip Girl(1994)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Girls in Prison(1994)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Runaway Daughters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Roadracers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Rebel Highway (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Shake, Rattle and Rock!(1994)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Alien³(1992)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Two-Fisted Tales(1992)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Let It Ride(1989)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Tales from the Crypt(1989)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Aliens(1986)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Money Pit(1986)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Rustlers' Rhapsody(1985)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Southern Comfort(1981)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Alien(1979)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Fun with Dick and Jane(1977)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
The Black Bird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The Parallax View(1974)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Skin Game(1971)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Myra Breckinridge(1970)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
Career shape
A full career of 30 titles from 1964 to 2017.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
Nominated for a Writers Guild Award in 1975, Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium.
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do David Giler's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 25; across their 27 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th7
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th8
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 27 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed10
Reviewers score the dialogue 45/100 and the plot and story 38/100 in their films, across 25 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is David Giler's work okay for kids?
Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does David Giler work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Giler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Walter Hill shares the most, 16.
Directors
- Ridley ScottShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012), The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003), Alien (1979)See all 4 shared titles with Ridley Scott
- Walter HillShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Ritual (2002), Undisputed (2002), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Bordello of Blood (1996), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), W.E.I.R.D. World (1995), Alien³ (1992), Two-Fisted Tales (1992) and 4 moreSee newest 12 of 16 shared titles with Walter Hill
- Charles de LauzirikaShared titles: The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003), The Making of 'Alien³' (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Charles de Lauzirika
Writers
- Dan O'BannonShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Alien³ (1992), Aliens (1986), Alien (1979)See all 8 shared titles with Dan O'Bannon
- Ronald ShusettShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Alien³ (1992), Aliens (1986), Alien (1979)See all 8 shared titles with Ronald Shusett
- Jim ThomasShared titles: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Two-Fisted Tales (1992)See all 3 shared titles with Jim Thomas
- John ThomasShared titles: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Two-Fisted Tales (1992)See all 3 shared titles with John Thomas
Actors
- Sigourney WeaverShared titles: The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003), The Making of 'Alien³' (2003), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Alien³ (1992), Aliens (1986), Alien (1979)See all 6 shared titles with Sigourney Weaver
- Lance HenriksenShared titles: Alien vs. Predator (2004), Alien³ (1992), Two-Fisted Tales (1992), Aliens (1986)See all 4 shared titles with Lance Henriksen
- Michael FassbenderShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Fassbender
- Ian WhyteShared titles: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Ian Whyte
Cinematographers and editors
- Dariusz WolskiShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Dariusz Wolski
- Pietro ScaliaShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Pietro Scalia
- Mac KennyShared titles: The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003), The Making of 'Alien³' (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Mac Kenny
- Freeman A. DaviesShared titles: Undisputed (2002), Southern Comfort (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Freeman A. Davies
Producers
- Gordon CarrollShared titles: Alien vs. Predator (2004), The Making of 'Alien³' (2003), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Alien³ (1992), Aliens (1986), Alien (1979)See all 6 shared titles with Gordon Carroll
- Joel SilverShared titles: Ritual (2002), Bordello of Blood (1996), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), W.E.I.R.D. World (1995), Two-Fisted Tales (1992)See all 5 shared titles with Joel Silver
- Richard DonnerShared titles: Ritual (2002), Bordello of Blood (1996), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), W.E.I.R.D. World (1995), Two-Fisted Tales (1992)See all 5 shared titles with Richard Donner
- Robert ZemeckisShared titles: Ritual (2002), Bordello of Blood (1996), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), W.E.I.R.D. World (1995), Two-Fisted Tales (1992)See all 5 shared titles with Robert Zemeckis
Mixed roles
- Vincent WardShared titles: The Making of 'Alien³' (2003), Alien³ (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Vincent Ward
