Sigourney Weaver Hopes This Unfinished Alien Script Can Bring Ripley Back To The Franchise

For the record, my Xenomorph-loving prime may be behind me. I couldn't get through more than three episodes of Noah Hawley's mostly celebrated TV series "Alien: Earth," but I tried. Frankly, I can't say that I've truly enjoyed anything that revolved around the vicious space monster since the off-kilter and zany 1997 sequel, "Alien: Resurrection." The good news is that there's hope for even those who, like me, have fallen out of love with the franchise.

Speaking at the 2025 New York Comic Con's "Alien" reunion panel (via Entertainment Weekly), Sigourney Weaver revealed that her days of playing Ellen Ripley may not be completely over after all. Furthermore, if she returns, it would be due to a promising (albeit currently unfinished) script penned by the great Walter Hill.

Weaver revealed that Hill has written 50 pages for a script that catches up with Ripley post-"Resurrection," and they are nothing short of intriguing. And since the writer-director is a long-time friend of hers, Weaver would even be up for returning to the "Alien" universe, should the screenplay be completed and gets a green light. In fact, she's apparently already "had a meeting with Fox — Disney, or whoever it is now" about the project. As the screen legend put it:

"I've never felt the need to reprise the role. I was always like, 'Let her rest! Let her recover!' But what Walter has written is so ... First of all, seems so true to me. It's very much about the society that would incarcerate someone who has tried to help mankind, but she's a problem to them, so she's tucked away. I'm thinking about working with Walter to see what the rest of the story would be. It would be a very different kind of 'Alien' with a really good script. Scary."

I doubt that Sigourney Weaver's history with the "Alien" franchise needs reiteration (she starred in the first four movies), but what many might not know is that Walter Hill is one of the original creative minds behind the long-running property. In addition to producing the first three "Alien" films, he also co-wrote "Alien³" and did uncredited rewrites on the original 1979 feature. It's fair to say that he may have contributed as much, if not more, to the franchise's success as Ridley Scott. Hence, if there's anyone who could make Ripley's return as fitting and badass as possible, it's probably him.

Hill is also known mainly as an old-school action and Western filmmaker, having been responsible for such cult classics as "Southern Comfort," "Red Heat," and "Streets of Fire," alongside bigger hits like "48 Hours" and its sequel — something that could be utilized in a new "Alien" movie. Admittedly, at 83, it's unlikely that he'd get to direct the film, but his knowledge, style, and approach to a "very different kind of 'Alien' movie" as a writer and producer would surely be an asset. All that, combined with Weaver's talent and passion for her iconic character, could potentially revitalize the franchise while also appealing to both older and younger "Alien" fans hungry for a truly superb (if old-fashioned) take on the Xenomorph. One thing's for sure: With these two involved, I'd watch the hell out of that movie, and likely so would millions of others.