Alien TV spin-off boss talks Sigourney Weaver status

It's looking unlikely that Sigourney Weaver will return as Ripley for the Alien TV spin-off.

Fargo boss Noah Hawley is teaming up with Disney and Sir Ridley Scott on a new chapter in the Alien franchise, taking place in a near-future where the Xenomorph species has made it to earth.

Because this series will be the first time an Alien movie/show is actually set on Earth, there have been questions over how Weaver's alien-killing badass Ripley would feature. As it turns out, she won't factor in.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Hawley spoke in depth about why the show is "not a Ripley story" at all.

Getty Images

"She's one of the great characters of all time, and I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don't want to mess with it," he went on. "It's a story that's set on Earth also. The alien stories are always trapped… Trapped in a prison, trapped in a spaceship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of, 'What happens if you can't contain it?' are more immediate."

The writer did tie his concept back to Ridley Scott's original Alien movie, in terms of how it dealt with "inequality".

"You know, one of the things that I love about the first movie is how '70s a movie it is, and how it's really this blue-collar space-trucker world in which Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton are basically Waiting for Godot," he pointed out.

alien xenomorph evolution from prometheus

20th Century Studios

"They're like Samuel Beckett characters, ordered to go to a place by a faceless nameless corporation. The second movie is such an '80s movie, but it's still about grunts. Paul Reiser is middle management at best. So, it is the story of the people you send to do the dirty work."

Hawley continued: "In mine, you're also going to see the people who are sending them. So you will see what happens when the inequality we're struggling with now isn't resolved.

"If we as a society can't figure out how to prop each other up and spread the wealth, then what's going to happen to us? There's that great Sigourney Weaver line to Paul Reiser where she says, 'I don't know which species is worse. At least they don't f**k each other over for a percentage'."

20th Century Studios

There are no casting or release details for the Alien show yet, but it will air on FX in the US. Filming takes place in 2022.

Credit: Sega

SEGA Aliens: Colonial Marines: Limited Edition (Xbox 360)

Now 20% Off

£8 at Amazon

Credit: Sega

Funko POP! Alien Ripley in Spacesuit Collectible Figure

£63 at Amazon

Credit: Funko

Funko POP! Alien Xenomorph Collectible Figure

£32 at Amazon

Credit: Funko

Titan Books The Making of Alien

Now 28% Off

£32 at Amazon

Credit: Titan Books

Titan Books Alien the Archive: The Ultimate Guide to the Classic Movies

Now 17% Off

£29 at Amazon

Credit: Titan Books

Titan Books Alien: The Blueprints

Now 20% Off

£24 at Amazon

Credit: Titan Books

TASCHEN Giger (Basic Art 2.0)

Now 18% Off

£12 at Amazon

Credit: TASCHEN

This month, Digital Spy Magazine counts down the 50 greatest LGBTQ+ TV characters since the Stonewall riots. Read every issue now with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+.

Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox – and don't forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers.

Justin Harp

Night News Editor

Justin has been with Digital Spy since 2010, and in that time, has covered countless major news events for DS from the US.

He has worked previously as both a reporter and sub editor for the brand, prior to taking on the position of Night News Editor in 2016.

Over more than a decade, he has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. As a US contributor to Digital Spy, Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo.