Danny Boyle has revealed why he turned down the chance to direct Alien: Resurrection back in the day — and yes, he knows it probably would’ve gone better than what he ended up doing instead.

At the time, 20th Century Fox was trying to figure out how to bring Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) back from the dead for a fourth Alien film. Boyle, fresh off Trainspotting, was the studio’s top pick. He even met with both Weaver and Winona Ryder, who were already attached to the project.

“It was serious,” Boyle recalled. “They were amazing. But it was right when CGI was starting to take over, and I just couldn’t get my head around it.” Despite his love for the Alien franchise, Boyle says he had a rare moment of clarity and decided to walk away. “I just thought — you’re not the guy for this job.”

Instead, he went on to make A Life Less Ordinary — also for 20th Century Fox, and also… less than well received. “So yeah, I didn’t make Alien, but I did make a box office flop. We all make choices,” he laughed.

At least he didn’t give Ripley robot wings or something.