Despite being the face of the Alien franchise, actor Sigourney Weaver has a strict condition for reprising her role of Ellen Ripley, which explains why she hasn't returned to the franchise in 27 years. Notably, Sigourney Weaver's Ripley didn't return for Alien: Romulus, the ninth installment in the storied franchise that began with Ridley Scott's Alien in 1979. Penned by Dan O'Bannon, the sci-fi horror film was not just a blockbuster, but a critically acclaimed, movie career-launching turn for Weaver, who plays Ellen Ripley, the warrant officer aboard a commercial space tug called Nostromo.
When the Nostromo comes across an abandoned ship, the crew come face-to-face with a hostile extraterrestrial. Weaver returned to combat Alien's iconic Xenomorph and Facehuggers in several other films, including James Cameron's Aliens, the 1986 sequel that earned Weaver an Academy Award nomination, as well as 1992's Alien 3 and 1997's Alien Resurrection. Unfortunately, neither of the '90s Alien movies were well-received, likely prompting Weaver to step back from the series. Although Scott's Alien prequels deftly avoided the Ripley return issue, Alien: Romulus' story is set rather close to the events of the original Alien.
Sigourney Weaver Is Waiting On A Great Script To Return To Alien
The Actor May Not Continue Ripley's Story In Future Alien Movies
In an interview with Deadline, Sigourney Weaver reiterated her unflexible condition for returning for more Alien movies. The actor, who just received the Venice Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, is waiting for a truly great script where her character is concerned. While Weaver broke barriers and left an indelible mark on pop culture with her role as action heroine Ripley, the actor was delighted to inhabit other characters across many genres. Known for her roles in Ghostbusters, Working Girl, and Cabin in the Woods, just to name a few, the three-time Oscar nominee clearly picks her projects carefully.
[Alien:Romulus'] decision to navigate around Ripley's story was probably for the best.
"I have yet to read a script [for an Alien movie] that said 'you have got to do this,'" Weaver admitted to Deadline. While the ninth franchise film prompted viewers to wonder where Ripley is during Alien: Romulus, the decision to navigate around Ripley's story was probably for the best. Co-written by director Fede Álvarez and colleague Rodo Sayagues, Romulus is partially a retread of the original Alien film's structure and plot beats, with some new twists and turns thrown in. Plus, it succeeds as a standalone entry that still references the other Alien movies.
Related
Why It’s Good Alien: Romulus Didn’t Feature Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley
Alien: Romulus was a stand-alone film in the franchise, and that's a good thing.
Sigourney Weaver Was Meant To Return In Alien 5 Before Its Cancelation
District 9 Director Neill Blomkamp Would Have Directed Weaver's Return In Alien: Xeno
Originally, director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) was set to helm Alien 5, which would've continued Ellen Ripley's Alien story. This was around the same time Ridley Scott's prequel, Prometheus, hit theaters. Unfortunately, 20th Century Fox scrapped the tentatively titled Alien: Xeno even after hearing Blomkamp's pitch. In the end, Alien 5's cancelation led to Blomkamp's hiatus from making feature films and cemented Alien: Resurrection as Weaver's last on-screen appearance as Ripley. While Weaver wasn't officially attached to the project, Alien 5 would have hinged on Ellen Ripley's return, which certainly wasn't the case for Scott's unfinished Alien prequel trilogy.
Related
Alien: Romulus Reveal Makes Ellen Ripley's Survival Before Aliens Even More Miraculous
A major Alien: Romulus easter egg involves the fate of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, which only makes her survival between films more impressive.
Why Sigourney Weaver's Alien Return Is Unlikely
The Actor Has Moved On From The Alien Franchise
In more recent years, it seems like Sigourney Weaver has moved on from the Alien franchise. At a time when every IP is milking viewers' nostalgia, Weaver could have easily returned for Alien: Romulus, but a fan-service cameo didn't happen. Notably, Weaver did appear in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, so the actor clearly isn't opposed to paying homage to her most iconic film series. Even though Weaver has appeared in other sci-fi series, like Cameron's Avatar, it sounds like she's putting what happened to Alien's Ellen Ripley in her rearview mirror.
Alien: Romulus is now playing in theaters worldwide; Alien and Aliens are now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
Alien: Romulus
3.5
32
Your Rating
Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit
Leave a Review
Your comment has not been saved
R
Sci-Fi
Horror
Thriller
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
- Director
- Fede Alvarez
- Release Date
- August 16, 2024
- Studio(s)
- Scott Free Productions , 20th Century
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
- Writers
- Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O'Bannon , Ronald Shusett
- Cast
- Cailee Spaeny , David Jonsson , Archie Renaux , Isabela Merced , Spike Fearn , Aileen Wu , Rosie Ede , Soma Simon , Bence Okeke , Viktor Orizu , Robert Bobroczkyi , Trevor Newlin , Annemarie Griggs , Daniel Betts
- Character(s)
- Rain , Andy , Tyler , Kay , Bjorn , Navarro , WY Officer , 10-Year-Old Punk #1 , 10-Year-Old Punk #2 , 10-Year-Old Punk #3 , Offspring , Xenomorph , MU/TH/UR (voice) , Rook (Facial and Vocal Performance)
- Runtime
- 119 Minutes
- Franchise(s)
- Alien
- Main Genre
- Horror
Source: Deadline
