Editing Dan O'Bannon

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{{Creative Infobox
| image              = Dan_OBannon.jpg
| image_size         = 250px
| caption            = O'Bannon in the 1980s.
| name               = Dan O'Bannon
| birth_name         = Daniel Thomas O'Bannon
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1946|09|30}}
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2009|12|17|1946|09|30}}
| occupation         = Screenwriter, Director, Visual Effects Supervisor
| nationality        = American
| notable_work       = ''[[Alien (1979)|Alien]]'', ''[[Dark Star (film)|Dark Star]]'', ''[[The Return of the Living Dead]]'', ''[[Total Recall (1990 film)|Total Recall]]''
| notable_artifacts  = [[Facehugger]]
| wikipedia_link     = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_O%27Bannon
| imdb_link          = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0639321/
}}

'''Daniel "Dan" O'Bannon''' (1946–2009) was an American screenwriter and director whose script for ''[[Alien (1979)|Alien]]'' defined the film and led to the creation of its iconic artifacts.

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==Biography & Career==
O'Bannon began his career collaborating with director [[John Carpenter]] on the student film ''[[Dark Star (film)|Dark Star]]'', which they later expanded into a feature. His experience on that low-budget film inspired him to write a sci-fi horror script with a more realistic, terrifying alien. The script, co-written with [[Ronald Shusett]] and originally titled ''Star Beast'', would become ''Alien''. A key contribution from O'Bannon was his insistence on hiring [[H.R. Giger]], whose art he had discovered while working on [[Alejandro Jodorowsky]]'s aborted ''Dune'' project.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dan-obannon19-2009dec19-story.html "Dan O'Bannon dies at 63," ''Los Angeles Times'', December 19, 2009].</ref>

==Signature Style==
O'Bannon's writing often blended science fiction with horror and black comedy. He was known for his "truckers in space" concept, which grounded his sci-fi stories with blue-collar, relatable characters, a stark contrast to the clean, heroic astronauts common at the time.<ref>''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien'', 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2003.</ref> This approach heavily influenced the lived-in look of the ''Nostromo'' and its artifacts.

==Notable Artifact Contributions==
The following is a list of notable artifacts designed or constructed by Dan O'Bannon.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+
! Artifact
! Media
! Contribution
|-
| [[Facehugger]]
| ''[[Alien (1979)|Alien]]''
| Conceived the creature's method of reproduction and its function in the story. He also drew the final composite sketch of the prop, combining ideas from Scott, Giger, and Cobb, which was then given to prop maker [[Roger Dicken]].<ref name="alien_explorations_obannon">[http://alienexplorations.blogspot.com/2009/06/h-creating-alien-facehugger.html "Alien: The Facehugger"]. Alien Explorations. Accessed July 12, 2025.</ref>
|}

==Filmography==
* ''[[Dark Star (film)|Dark Star]]'' (1974) - Writer, Special Effects
* ''[[Alien (1979)|Alien]]'' (1979) - Writer, Visual Design Consultant
* ''[[Heavy Metal (film)|Heavy Metal]]'' (1981) - Writer (Segment "Soft Landing")
* ''[[Lifeforce (film)|Lifeforce]]'' (1985) - Writer
* ''[[The Return of the Living Dead]]'' (1985) - Director, Writer
* ''[[Total Recall (1990 film)|Total Recall]]'' (1990) - Writer

==Trivia==
* The idea for the [[Chestburster]] came to co-writer [[Ronald Shusett]] in a dream after eating at a diner, exclaiming to O'Bannon, "I've got it! The alien jumps on one of their faces and... then it bursts out of his chest!"<ref>''The Beast Within: The Making of Alien'', 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2003.</ref>

==See Also==
* [[H.R. Giger]]
* [[Ridley Scott]]
* [[Ronald Shusett]]
* [[John Carpenter]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Screenwriters]]
[[Category:Directors]]
[[Category:Visual Effects Artists]]