Sigourney Weaver surprised fans of the Alien franchise in October 2025 when she revealed that she had read a 50-page treatment for a new film written by longtime producer Walter Hill. Weaver also confirmed that she was in discussions to return as Ellen Ripley, the character that made her a household name. If the project moves forward, it would mark her first on-screen appearance as Ripley since 1997’s Alien: Resurrection.
Speaking with Variety during a red carpet event for Avatar: Fire and Ash, Weaver said, “We’re just taking it one step at a time. It is very interesting, and I really hope we do it. I think the fans will like it, but it’s very early days.”
Sigourney Weaver hopes she can return to the #Alien franchise as Ripley.
“We’re just taking it one step at a time. It is very interesting, but it’s very early days.” pic.twitter.com/VJaexrKhMH
— Variety (@Variety) December 5, 2025
Weaver’s comments suggest that development is still in its early stages, but she appears enthusiastic about Hill’s story. Whether the project is approved will depend on whether Disney, which now controls the franchise through its ownership of 20th Century Studios, supports the direction Hill and Weaver want to take.
Ripley’s last canonical appearance in the Alien series took place in Alien: Resurrection, set in the distant future year 2381. That film followed a clone of Ripley after the character’s death in Alien 3. Weaver previously shared that Hill’s new concept involves Ripley being silenced after speaking out about the existence of Xenomorphs. This approach could rewrite or bypass the events of Alien 3 and Resurrection, placing the story closer to the timeline of Aliens. The idea of resetting the continuity to bring Ripley back has been considered several times before.
In 2015, director Neill Blomkamp, best known for District 9, developed a proposed sequel that would have continued directly from Aliens, with Weaver set to return. His version would have ignored the events of Alien 3 and Resurrection. The studio, however, decided to move forward with Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant instead, which followed up on the story from Prometheus. After Covenant underperformed at the box office and Fox was acquired by Disney, Blomkamp’s film was scrapped.
Since Disney’s acquisition and the renaming of 20th Century Fox to 20th Century Studios, the Alien brand has seen renewed development. The 2024 release Alien: Romulus was a box office success, and a sequel is already being planned. The television series Alien: Earth completed its first season in fall 2025 and earned strong reviews, leading to a renewal for a second season. There are also discussions about another Alien vs. Predator film that would follow Predator: Badlands and feature the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the Aliens storyline.
With multiple projects in motion and the possibility of Sigourney Weaver’s return, the Alien franchise appears to be expanding in several directions. Fans may soon see new stories featuring both original and fresh characters continuing the long-running battle against the Xenomorph threat.
***
English (US) · 