It would be hard to imagine another Alien film without Ellen Ripley. Sigourney Weaver’s kick-ass heroine survived the disaster aboard the Nostromo in Alien, survived the onslaught of a queen and her army in Aliens, and finally met her demise on prison planet Fury 161 in Alien III, but not before taking down almost their entire race with her, including a new queen. Then we get a clone Ripley for Alien: Resurrection, and she’s still kicking alien ass even after she’s dead. Recently, a fifth Ripley/Alien film pitched a chance to recapture some of that female sci-fi hero magic in a new movie. Sadly, Sigourney Weaver may not want the role.
“I don’t know. Ridley (Scott) has gone in a different direction. Maybe Ripley has done her bit. She deserves a rest.”
Sigourney Weaver to Empire Online
Alien: Where Has Ridley Scott Taken Us Since His 1979 Masterpiece?
Since the first film, his aliens have been in a few different and unexpected places. In a crossover with the Predator franchise, fans saw two films, with Alien vs. Predator, and AvP: Requiem. Scott was not attached to those projects, but the xenomorph aliens are still his baby. He reminded us of that with two more films he did himself: Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Ripley did not appear in any of these four films, and they were met with mixed reviews even with boasting all-star casts.
Even so, a third Alien prequel is on Scott’s radar and has been for some time. The brakes were applied when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox. Since the merger, no decision on the franchise’s future has been made. Weaver has always said she would return to the role if she liked the accompanying story, and Scott has always wanted to finish the prequels up with a lead-in directly to the events of the first Alien film. Now if we can get these two on the same page with Disney for a story, perhaps the franchise can carry on with a new movie.
“What I always thought when I was making the first one [was] why would a creature like this be made and why was it traveling in what I always thought was a kind of war-craft, which was carrying a cargo of these eggs. What was the purpose of the vehicle and what was the purpose of the eggs? That’s the thing to question – who, why, and for what purpose is the next idea, I think.”
Ridley Scott to the L.A. Times
Aliens: A Science-Fiction And Pop Culture Phenomenon
Artist H.R. Giger’s drawing were the basis for the terrifying, acid-for-blood creatures featured in the Alien films. Since the first movie in 1979, the xenomorphs have appeared in additional movies, video games, fan art crossovers, and comic books. Dark Horse Comics launched the whole Aliens vs. Predators idea back in January 1990 and created a whole series around it. Other artists have crossed the genres of popular sci-fi franchises with the xenomorphs, too.
The terrifying nature of the creatures keeps them alive in all sorts of medium and shows how much fans love the series. The overall popularity of the characters and the aliens themselves show this story has a lot of life left in it.
Where Does A Possible New Movie With Sigourney Weaver Stand Now?
According to Empire, a 50-page treatment for a fifth Ripley film was written and presented to Weaver about a year-and-a-half ago, but she felt the Alien franchise was moving away from Ripley’s part. That said, she still has a soft spot for the tough-as-nails Ellen Ripley:
“I’ve always felt she was such a partner. She is always in my stomach.”
Sigourney Weaver
It’s good to know she’d still do it, but perhaps it’s time for a new lead to helm the franchise. There are several other viable candidates out there. Critics may blow this idea out of the airlock, but Kristin Stewart put in a heck of a performance in Underwater. Her role as Norah Price was outstanding and fit well within the Alien movie structure. It’s hard to imagine Aliens without Ripley, but not impossible.
Even though Weaver could return with the right story, and Ridley Scott wants to finish up his prequels, the Alien franchise is way outside of Disney’s less-than-R-rated comfort zone. The answer could lie in licensing the idea and farming out to other streaming platforms. A big-budget Netflix or Hulu series could be a fitting new home for Aliens, with or without Ellen Ripley. As much as I’d like to see her again on the big screen, perhaps she does deserve a rest.
Should We Get A New Alien Movie?
What do you think, Hashtaggers? Should Disney do Aliens? Should they let Ridley Scott finish out his franchise? How about the return of the OG female action star Sigourney Weaver as Ripley? Can another Alien movie make it without her? Stick with That Hashtag Show and keep up with everything trending in geek pop culture!
Source: Heroic Hollywood
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