Certain performers are forever linked to defining roles and that is completely true for Sigourney Weaver, whose turn as Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise changed the game for female characters in genre films that have both depth and impeccable strength. The actress has played the iconic role in four films of the franchise and even though her last appearance was in 1997, fans are always wondering if there’s a shot that she could return. The success of Alien: Romulus has only reignited those fan voices and now the actress is revealing if she would like to step into Ripley’s shoes again.
During a chat with Deadline, Weaver addressed a possible Ripley return and, while she says that “she’s never far away from me,” it seems that she hasn’t come across a story that makes her think that a Ripley return is absolutely necessary.
“I feel like she’s never far away from me, but on the other hand,
I’ve yet to read a script that said ‘you have got to do this.’
So for me, she is in this other dimension, safe from the Alien for the time being. I don’t really think about it, but you know,
it’s not completely impossible
, and certainly a lot of good filmmakers are inspired by the material.”
Sigourney Weaver Began Her Ellen Ripley Journey in 1979
Weaver originated the Ellen Ripley role in 1979’s Alien where, during much of the film, she blended in effortlessly into the ensemble, as the movie didn’t fully establish a lead character until Ripley is the last one standing against the Xenomorph at the climax of the film. She reprised the role in James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens, where the character took on a more proactive stance and fully established Ripley as one of the cinema’s defining female characters. Weaver’s depiction broke down more than a few barriers, even earning the actress a Best Actress Oscar nomination, a rarity for a performance in the science-fiction genre.
Weaver returned for David Fincher’s Alien 3, which was met with a polarizing response when it was released in 1992, even being disowned by Fincher himself due to studio interference. However, in the years since its release, fans have warmed up to the film, even saying The Assembly Cut is a version worth watching. Even though Ripley sacrificed herself at the end of the film to kill a Xenomorph, she was able to return as a clone in 1997’s Alien: Resurrection.
The actress has been open to returning in the past, even expressing profound interest in director Neill Blomkamp’s Alien concept that would once again feature Ripley as a lead character. Blomkamp began posting concept art of his planned Alien film on Instagram in 2015, but by 2017, the project seemed to fall apart. Even though Weaver seems open to a Ripley return should a good script come her way, she also seems content with putting the character to rest.
“How much does the public really need or want another Ripley movie? I don’t really sit around and think about it, but if it came up, I would consider it. It has come up a bunch of times, but I’m also busy doing other things. Ripley has earned her rest.” (
via Games Radar
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Weaver is set to be the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival, making the three-time Oscar nominee only the third American actress to receive the honor.
