Sigourney Weaver Says ‘Ship Has Sailed’ on Fifth ‘Alien’ Movie

[Nightmare Asylum]

Sigourney Weaver Says 'Ship Has Sailed' on Fifth 'Alien' Movie and Reprising Ripley: 'I Really Wanted to Do It With Neill Blomkamp'

Harrison Ford is returning to the "Indiana Jones" franchise in the upcoming "Dial of Destiny," marking a return to the character he's now played for 42 years. It's been 44 years since Sigourney Weaver first played Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott's "Alien," but don't expect her to pull a Ford/"Dial of Destiny" and return to the role that made her an action movie icon. In a new interview with Total Film magazine, Weaver said her days as Ripley are over.

"There are all kinds of younger actors taking this kind of role," Weaver said. "And there was an 'Alien' [film] that I really wanted to do with Neill Blomkamp and we didn't get to do that, but, you know, that ship has sailed. I'm very happy doing what I'm doing. I put in my time in space!"

"District 9" filmmaker Blomkamp scripted and prepped for an "Alien" movie that never got off the ground at 20th Century Fox. The sequel would've marked Weaver's fifth time playing Ripley after "Alien" (1979), "Aliens" (1986), "Alien 3" (1992) and "Alien: Resurrection" (1997). Back in 2015 during the film's development, Weaver told Variety that it would "break new ground."

"I can't think of a better director," Weaver said at the time about Blomkamp, who directed her in "Chappie." "He's a real fan. I think he'll be true to the world and take it in unexpected directions. It's got a lot of sinew in it. It will certainly stand up to the others and probably break a lot of new ground as well."

"Alien 5" never made it into production, but that wasn't the end of Weaver getting offers to join a new "Alien" movie. Weaver confirmed to Empire magazine in summer 2020 that franchise producer Walter Hill had sent her a 50-page treatment for "a different take on a fifth Ripley film." Hill served as producer on every "Alien" movie and has a story credit on James Cameron's "Aliens."

Weaver did not reveal what was in Hill's treatment, but she didn't appear too interested in coming back to the franchise then either. "I don't know," she said. "Ridley has gone in a different direction. Maybe Ripley has done her bit. She deserves a rest."

20th Century Studios is currently in production on a new "Alien" movie with "Evil Dead" director Fede Alvarez. Cailee Spaeny ("Mare of Easttown") is leading a cast that also includes David Jonsson ("Industry"), Archie Renaux ("Shadow and Bone"), Isabela Merced ("Rosaline"), Spike Fearn ("The Batman") and Aileen Wu ("Away from Home"). Scott is an executive producer on the film.

While the premise for the yet-to-be-titled new "Alien" movie is under wraps, 20th Century Studios has confirmed the film will follow "a group of young people on a distant world, who find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe."

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/sigourney-weaver-retires-ripley-alien-5-wont-happen-1235595673/

[Darwinsgirl]

I know its not a popular opinion but I would have liked to see Ripley / Sigourney one more time. Too bad the Blomkamp film wasn't made.

[Stitch]

I have mixed feelings. It would have been nice to see Ripley back for one last go around. At the same time, Ripley's story has been told, and the ideas that we were told from Blomkamp's story didn't really appeal to me, and the last thing you want is a bad legacy sequel, tainting the Ripley character.

[Mike’s Monsters]

Honestly we dodged a bullet losing the Blompkamp project. He messed with set lore too much that would have pissed people off more than the Scott prequels did. It would have been a big mess.

[Some Old Dude]

I'm fine with this. She had an amazing run.

[Corporal Hicks]

I'm actually fine with this. As much as I wanted to see Michael Biehn back - and just have a new Alien film - I was always a little hesitant about the idea of an alternate sequel. And everything that I've learned about this project - both publicly, and not yet - has me very pleased we didn't get it. It's a dodged bullet imho. I will start to put together an editorial on this in the next 3/4 months.

[Engineer]

Best alien news I've heard all year

I never wanted blomkamp's film

And I firmly believe the alien franchise needs to move on from Ripley and her family

[Darwinsgirl]

I'm actually fine with this. As much as I wanted to see Michael Biehn back - and just have a new Alien film - I was always a little hesitant about the idea of an alternate sequel. And everything that I've learned about this project - both publicly, and not yet - has me very pleased we didn't get it. It's a dodged bullet imho. I will start to put together an editorial on this in the next 3/4 months.

Looking forward to seeing this as I know very little about the Blomkamp project.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

I will start to put together an editorial on this in the next 3/4 months.

Will that include the stuff that's not been publicly revealed yet?

You and Mike are awfully cloak and dagger. 

[BlueMarsalis79]

Bloody hell, hope so.

[skhellter]

Honestly we dodged a bullet losing the Blompkamp project. He messed with set lore too much that would have pissed people off more than the Scott prequels did. It would have been a big mess.

From the stuff that is "public" it seemed like it would have served as an ending to the whole franchise (showing an ending to WY)....
being produced at the same time as Ridley is making prequels that aim at expanding lore and the world.

And Hollywood is notoriously averse to the idea of giving "endings" to long running franchises.

Maybe that's also part of the reason why it failed to launch.

[Some Old Dude]

I'm actually fine with this. As much as I wanted to see Michael Biehn back - and just have a new Alien film - I was always a little hesitant about the idea of an alternate sequel. And everything that I've learned about this project - both publicly, and not yet - has me very pleased we didn't get it. It's a dodged bullet imho. I will start to put together an editorial on this in the next 3/4 months.

You certainly know how to pique my curiosity can't wait.

[PsyKore]

I would've liked to see it made just for the chance to see Sigourney vs Aliens again, but the smarter side of me knows Alien 3 is a strong enough ending and perfect wrap up to the trilogy that it shouldn't be retconned.

[Acid_Reign161]

I cannot express how happy I am to hear that the nail is finally in the coffin on this idea. Every last thing about the Blomkamp project looked and sounded absolutely abysmal, from the cast (sorry but we don't need to go the 'Halloween Ends' route), the concept art that featured zero of the franchise's aesthetics (has the guy ever seen an Alien movie!?), it appeared to be nothing more than a 'greatest hits' of Aliens in the style of Resurrection targeting the 'big-badda-boom' crowd and demonstrated nothing of the tone expected of these films in the glimpses we were presented with. It would have been to the original Alien trilogy the equivalent of Milla Jovovich's final Resident Evil movie to the Resident Evil PS1 games. We didn't just dodge a bullet, we dodged an orbital nuke with this one. I'm not even going to pretend to be apologetic to those who hoped to see it - it's evident that sometimes the audience needs saving from itself... 😅

What I would say, is that the concept art would make for an acceptable Marvel Comic 'what-if' run similar to Gibson's Alien 3, but beyond that... let it die 😅

[SiL]

I'm actually fine with this. As much as I wanted to see Michael Biehn back - and just have a new Alien film - I was always a little hesitant about the idea of an alternate sequel. And everything that I've learned about this project - both publicly, and not yet - has me very pleased we didn't get it. It's a dodged bullet imho. I will start to put together an editorial on this in the next 3/4 months.

My popcorn is popping.