This “scoop” is utter lunacy, but I should probably tackle it since you’re going to be seeing an innumerable amount of articles written out because of it.
Daniel Richtman is reporting that Fede Alvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” sequel might be bringing back a de-aged Sigourney Weaver as Ripley. The accuracy of the intel is suspect, but it’s now out there and we’ll let Alvarez confirm or debunk it.
‘Romulus’ already found the franchise's new Ripley in the form of Cailee Spaeny's Rain. Spaeny played a female heroine who wasn’t afraid to pick up a gun and blast xenomorphs. Why does this franchise need to bring back Weaver when you already have her?
‘Romulus’ also acted as a bridge between Ridley Scott’s “Alien” and James Cameron's “Aliens” — the storyline occurred while Ripley was in cryosleep after the events of the ‘79 original. Alvarez recently revealed that ‘Romulus’ contained a Ripley Easter Egg where you could see Ripley’s Nostromo shuttle from far away.
Regardless, it looks like the ‘Alien’ franchise will live to see another day. Spurred by strong audience scores, ‘Romulus’ earned $100M domestically, and $350M worldwide. The budget was only $80M.
Last fall, 20th Century boss Steve Asbell confirmed that a sequel to ‘Romulus’ was already in the works, and that Alvarez, alongside actors Spaeny and David Jonsson, were set to return. A Weaver comeback still seems a bit far fetched, but let the rumors begin.