Ronald Shusett (born June 1935) is an American screenwriter and film producer, best known for his works in the science fiction genre. He wrote the original story for Alien (1979) with Dan O'Bannon and later Alien vs. Predator (2004). In 1974, he was the first to option the Philip K. Dick short story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", that became the basis of the film Total Recall.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 1, 1935
- August 29, 2024 (aged 89)
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Writer and producer
- 19 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
Known for
What are Ronald Shusett's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.
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 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 16
Light 0 · Serious 5 · Dark 13
Grounded 5 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 6
Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 17
Steady 2 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 5
Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 6
Casual 1 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 8
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 7
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous6
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 Ronald Shusett's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (8).
Subscription and free streaming for Ronald Shusett'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
29 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Alien: Earth(2025)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows
Alien: Romulus(2024)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Alien: Ore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Alien: Specimen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Alien: Alone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Alien: Containment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Alien: Harvest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Alien: Night Shift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Alien: Isolation - The Digital Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Alien: Covenant(2017)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Total Recall(2012)
Midcredits score: 44th 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
Minority Report(2002)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Alien: Resurrection(1997)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Bleeders(1997)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Alien³(1992)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Freejack(1992)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Total Recall(1990)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Above the Law(1988)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
King Kong Lives(1986)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Aliens(1986)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Final Terror(1983)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Dead & Buried(1981)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Phobia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Alien(1979)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
W (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Untitled Alien: Romulus Sequel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 29 titles, 28 of them dated from 1974 to 2025.
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.
How do Ronald Shusett's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 19 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved4
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed4
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the dialogue 38/100 and the plot and story 39/100 in their films, across 18 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 Ronald Shusett's work okay for kids?
Across up to 18 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 Ronald Shusett work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ronald Shusett's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dan O'Bannon shares the most, 14.
Directors
- Ridley ScottShared titles: Alien: Romulus (2024), Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012), Alien (1979)See all 4 shared titles with Ridley Scott
- Andrew DavisShared titles: Above the Law (1988), The Final Terror (1983)See all 2 shared titles with Andrew Davis
Writers
- Dan O'BannonShared titles: Alien: Earth (2025), Alien: Romulus (2024), Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012), Total Recall (2012), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Bleeders (1997), Alien³ (1992), Total Recall (1990), Aliens (1986) and 2 moreSee newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Dan O'Bannon
- Steven PressfieldShared titles: Freejack (1992), Above the Law (1988), King Kong Lives (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Steven Pressfield
- Walter HillShared titles: Alien: Romulus (2024), 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 9 shared titles with Walter Hill
- David GilerShared 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 David Giler
Actors
- Sigourney WeaverShared titles: Alien: Resurrection (1997), Alien³ (1992), Aliens (1986), Alien (1979)See all 4 shared titles with Sigourney Weaver
- Lance HenriksenShared titles: Alien vs. Predator (2004), Alien³ (1992), Aliens (1986)See all 3 shared titles with Lance Henriksen
- Michael FassbenderShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Fassbender
- Colin FarrellShared titles: Total Recall (2012), Minority Report (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Colin Farrell
Composers, 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
- Terry RawlingsShared titles: Alien³ (1992), Alien (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Terry Rawlings
- Jerry GoldsmithShared titles: Total Recall (1990), Alien (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Jerry Goldsmith
Producers
- Gordon CarrollShared titles: Alien vs. Predator (2004), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Alien³ (1992), Aliens (1986), Alien (1979)See all 5 shared titles with Gordon Carroll
- Mark HuffamShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Huffam
- Teresa KellyShared titles: Alien: Covenant (2017), Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Teresa Kelly
- John DavisShared titles: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004)See all 2 shared titles with John Davis
Mixed roles
- Gary GoldmanShared titles: Minority Report (2002), Total Recall (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Gary Goldman