Does ‘Alien: Romulus’ bring back the franchise’s most iconic character?
Director Fede Álvarez’s prequel-sequel Alien: Romulus is here, introducing some of the scariest concepts the franchise has ever seen. And given its many callbacks to the days of Alien past, it’s only natural that many have wondered if a certain, pulse rifle-toting heroine has a cameo in the film.
Warning! Minor spoilers ahead for Alien: Romulus
At its core, Alien: Romulus is a tribute to Ridley Scott’s Alien universe. Given how formative the 1979 original has been to Álvarez as a filmmaker, it’s no wonder his new sci-fi/horror contains several callbacks to Alien and its spinoffs. Still, it’s a standalone story with its own refreshing spin on the IP, and includes a shiny new cast made up of Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, and Archie Renaux, among others—and it’s absolutely brutal when it comes to its kills, à la Xenomorphs and acidic Facehuggers.
But does a familiar face from Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 Aliens appear in the movie?
Sorry, Sigourney Weaver isn’t in Alien: Romulus, but her presence is definitely felt
To answer your question, no, Sigourney Weaver does not reprise her role as final girl Ellen Ripley for Alien: Romulus. While you could make the argument that it’s not truly an Alien movie without Ripley, I think Cailee Spaeny’s Rain captures the essence of the character—they even rock the same Reebok kicks. It’s extremely obvious that Álvarez wanted to pay tribute to Ripley via Rain without adding in too many “member berries,” but their outfits, aptitude for guns, and general badassery draw some clear parallels.
It’s also worth noting that the Priscilla star vigorously studied Weaver’s performance ahead of her turn in Alien: Romulus, telling Total Film that she had Alien “playing on repeat for months.” Spaeny had some big shoes to fill here—that’s for sure. Still, she says she “never felt intimidated” by the role, explaining that “because Sigourney injected all of herself into it, that then opens up any other female who’s entering this franchise into not ever feeling that weird weight or pressure of playing a female lead.”
Ellen Ripley remains one of cinema’s best female protagonists, and it’s actually kind of touching to see her Alien legacy live on through Cailee Spaeny. Personally, I think it’s a good call that Sigourney Weaver stayed on the sidelines for Alien: Romulus and that Rain doesn’t have any connections to Ripley, because seriously, the last thing any franchise needs is a half-baked link to legacy characters—which filmmakers end up fumbling 90% of the time anyway. Ultimately, Romulus still copies the Alien formula, but Rain doesn’t need any help from Ripley here, and that’s a good thing.
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