Earlier this month, director Ridley Scott addressed the future of the Alien franchise in an interview with the L.A. Times. And perhaps inevitably, this invited speculation over whether any new installments could make room for Sigourney Weaver to return as Ellen Ripley. However, Weaver doesn’t think this is in the cards.
Weaver reflected on her history with the Alien series in a recent interview with Empire. She also shared that “around a year and a half ago,” producer Walter Hill presented her with a 50-page treatment for a new Ripley-centric movie that rose from the ashes of Neill Blomkamp’s cancelled Alien project. But since Scott seems committed to furthering the prequel story that began with Prometheus, Weaver isn’t sure this will ever get made.
“I don’t know,” said Weaver. “Ridley has gone in a different direction. Maybe Ripley has done her bit. She deserves a rest.”
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Weaver made her debut as Ripley in Scott’s original Alien film in 1979 and reprised the role in three sequels. Although the films declined in quality after James Cameron’s Aliens hit theaters in 1986, it helped Weaver to establish herself as one of Hollywood’s top action heroines. Weaver last portrayed Ripley in Alien: Resurrection, which bowed in 1997. She also provided Ripley’s voice in Sega’s Alien: Isolation video game in 2014.
Weaver’s remarks actually echo Scott’s comments about how the franchise needs to “re-evolve” in order to continue. Presumably, this rules out a comeback for Ripley. But in the meantime, Weaver will revisit another one of her most iconic characters when she returns to play Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters: Afterlife next year. She’ll also reprise her role as Grace Augustine in Cameron’s Avatar sequels.
Would you like to see Sigourney Weaver come back as Ripley in a new Alien film? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Making of Alien
