Alien Icon Sigourney Weaver Returns as Ripley for Full Frontal With Samantha Bee

Sigourney Weaver debuted as Ellen Ripley in 1979's Alien, a member of the Nostromo's crew who managed to evade capture by a xenomorph and blasted it into space. Weaver reprised the role in three sequels, helping cement her legacy in the echelons of science fiction as an ultimate badass. While the Alien series has continued without Weaver's involvement, it's clearly a role she holds close to her heart, regularly promoting the franchise in a number of ways. While it might not be a full-fledged adventure, Weaver reprised the role for a sketch on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee where the threat was the White House Correspondents' dinner.

Weaver's last appearance as the character came in 1997's Alien: Resurrection, with the franchise then opting to deliver audiences the crossover Alien vs. Predator films, following by the prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

District 9 and Chappie director Neill Blomkamp has regularly shared details about his desires to make an Alien 5, which Weaver herself was interested in participating in. Despite her interest, original Alien director Ridley Scott has previously shot down the idea of those plans ever becoming a reality, though Weaver herself admitted that Aliens director James Cameron was in favor of the concept.

"We almost started to do it when I was working with James Cameron. But by the time we were put off by Fox, Neill had gotten so many jobs that we'd have to wait probably," Weaver shared with The Hollywood Reporter last year. "I'm busy doing Avatar 4 and 5. I love working with Neill and I think he'd do a terrific job, and James Cameron really thinks it's a great idea, so you never know. Right now, I think Neill's got like three projects going at once."

Sadly, this Alien content will likely have to hold us over for quite some time, whether Weaver is involved or not.

Scott returned to the franchise for the first time with 2011's Prometheus and, while many franchise fans commended the themes the director explored, it didn't feel like the same sci-fi adventure we were given in previous installments, leading to a disappointing reception. Covenant was meant to satiate those demands from fans, yet that film also failed to resonate strongly with audiences, seemingly stagnating the series indefinitely.

Earlier this year, Disney officially purchased a majority 20th Century Fox's assets, the Alien franchise included, which could provide more stumbling blocks for the series for the foreseeable future.

Did you enjoy seeing Weaver reprise the iconic role? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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