Fede Alvarez Shoots Down Rumors of Ellen Ripley Returning for ‘Alien: Romulus’ Sequel

It’s a big day for the Alien franchise, with Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus officially receiving an Oscar nomination this morning for Best Visual Effects. But that wasn’t the only Alien news for today, as rumors began swirling earlier this afternoon that Alvarez and company are looking to bring Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley back to the screen for the sequel to Romulus.

The rumor originated from scooper Daniel Richtman. He writes, “For the next Alien movie, they’re considering bringing back Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) using de-aging technology.”

Is there any truth to the rumor? Well, Fede Alvarez himself has taken to Twitter to completely debunk the report. “Fun gossip,” he responds to the rumor. “But not true at all.”

We do know that Alvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues are indeed developing a sequel to Alien: Romulus, with the film expected to center on the two survivors of last year’s movie: Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and David Jonsson’s Andy. Alvarez told Empire earlier this month, “I think it’ll be so exciting to go with characters you know from this movie, to a place in the Alien franchise that we’ve never been before, and to discover things that you’ve never seen before.”

So where is Ellen Ripley during the events of Alien: Romulus, you might be wondering? The film takes place between the events of Alien and Aliens, with Rain and friends encountering the Xenomorphs approximately 20 years after Alien and roughly 30 years before Aliens.

As you may recall, Aliens revealed that Ripley was in stasis aboard an escape shuttle (known as the Narcissus) for 57 years after the events of Alien, which would mean that Ripley is very much still floating around out there during the events of Alien: Romulus. Her journey to the Sulaco is still far from over during the events of Alien: Romulus, if these timelines all line up.

But would Sigourney Weaver actually agree to a return to the franchise, if she was asked? Back in August 2024, the actress shared that she would “consider it” if the script excited her.

“How much does the public really need or want another Ripley movie?” Weaver pondered. “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.”

Fun gossip. But not true at all.

— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) January 23, 2025

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