Alien vs. Predator, also known as
AVP, is a 2004 American
science fiction film directed by
Paul W.S. Anderson for
20th Century Fox. The film adapts the
Alien vs. Predator crossover imprint bringing together the eponymous creatures of the
Alien and
Predator series, a concept which originated in a
1989 comic book. Anderson,
Dan O'Bannon, and
Ronald Shusett wrote the story, and Anderson and
Shane Salerno adapted the story into a screenplay. Their writing was influenced by
Aztec mythology, the comic book series, and the writings of
Erich von Däniken.
Set in 2004, the film follows a group of
paleontologists,
archaeologists, and others assembled by billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland (
Lance Henriksen) for an expedition near the Antarctic to investigate a mysterious heat signal. Weyland hopes to claim the find for himself, and his group discovers a pyramid below the surface of a whaling station.
Hieroglyphs and sculptures reveal that the pyramid is a hunting ground for
Predators who kill
Aliens as a
rite of passage. The humans are caught in the middle of a battle between the two species and attempt to prevent the Aliens from reaching the surface.