Ellen Ripley is an iconic character and Sigourney Weaver is a screen icon but it's too late for her to return to the Alien franchise. While female action heroes are much more common in movies today, when Ripley went to battle alongside a group of rough and tough space marines in 1986's Aliens, seeing her wielding that flamethrower was truly a sight to behold. Every major female hero in movies since owes both Alien's Ripley and Weaver a tip of the hat.
Ripley debuted in the original 1979 Alien film, but while she was resourceful there, she was also a survivor and not a fighter. It wasn't until James Cameron's sequel that Ripley became the character she's best known as, although that character oddly wouldn't last long as Alien 3 saw Ripley - devastated by the deaths of Hicks and Newt - struggling to survive once again. That struggle ended with her death, then eventual cloning for Alien: Resurrection.
Neither Weaver nor Ripley has had any involvement with the Alien franchise in the 20-plus years since Resurrection, but that hasn't stopped fans from pining for Ripley's return. It's not hard to understand why, as Weaver has always excelled in the role, regardless of the quality of the movie around her. Unfortunately, at this point, it's likely too late for a Ripley return to happen in a way that would please audiences.
Alien: Resurrection was released to theaters in 1997, meaning it's over 20 years since a proper entry in the Alien franchise was produced. Alien vs. Predator - which deleted its best scene - and its sequel Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem bore little resemblance or connection to the movies fronted by Ripley, content to do their own thing. Considering how widely disliked they were, that's probably for the best. Since then though, Ridley Scott has directed the divisive prequel Prometheus, as well as its follow-up Alien: Covenant, which tends to be viewed in a more negative light.
At this juncture, Scott has repeatedly suggested he might make a third in the Alien prequel line, although it looks unclear as to what form that might take. Additionally, FX and Legion's Noah Hawley are hard at work on an Alien TV show, one which will do something the franchise has rarely done before: bring the Xenomorph to Earth in a time not too distant from the current one. However, that timeframe effectively rules out an appearance by Weaver's Ripley, as her story in the original Alien begins in 2122, and only gets further away from the present as it continues. With Neill Blomkamp's previously floated Alien 5 sequel project seemingly dead in the water, it's hard to think of a place for Weaver's Ripley to fit into the franchise's future plans. That's especially true if some retcons aren't used to bring the real Ellen Ripley back to life, as it's doubtful most viewers want to see more of Alien: Resurrection's Ripley 8 clone running around.
While the works of director Neill Blomkamp since he broke out with District 9 have been up and down, it's fair to say many Alien fans were excited when it looked like Blomkamp would get to bring his idea for an Aliens sequel to life. Often referred to as Alien 5 due to lack of an official title, Blomkamp's script was a direct sequel to James Cameron's Aliens and completely retconned the events of Alien 3 and Resurrection. That means that not only would the real Ripley be back in the mix, but so would the unceremoniously killed off characters of Corporal Hicks, Newt and Bishop the android.
Beyond that, it's unclear exactly what Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 story would've concerned, but after the success of Halloween 2018 and Halloween Kills, it's evident audiences are willing to go along with retconning out a few sequels in order to facilitate a satisfying reboot. Sadly, Fox and Ridley Scott put the kibosh on Blomkamp's sequel, with the filmmaker recently saying the project is basically dead. That's despite Sigourney Weaver herself being supportive of it, and willing to return as Ripley. Considering how beloved Aliens is, it's hard to think of a better scenario for a possible Ripley return to the franchise than a proper follow-up to Cameron's classic. Additionally, Weaver is 72-years-old and has slowed her acting pace way down in recent years, doing 2-3 projects a year on average. On top of that, she's firmly committed to Avatar 2-5 - despite her character's death - production of which isn't remotely close to being done, limiting her availability.
While a return of Sigourney Weaver to the Ellen Ripley role in a future Alien movie is probably not the greatest idea, for the reasons stated above, that doesn't mean she can't ever appear in any capacity. For example, an older Ripley could play a supporting role in a movie set decades after Aliens, perhaps having further evolved into the leader of some kind of resistance against the always malevolent Weyland-Yutani Corporation. A disillusioned Hicks also could've left the colonial marines and joined Ripley's crusade, explaining an appearance by him as well. While Weaver's Ellen Ripley could figure into the plot, she could serve in a more advisory-type role to a new protagonist, someone who perhaps reminds Ripley of her younger self.
Possibly the best scenario of that type could see a new Alien partially adapt the acclaimed Alien: Isolation video game, and focus the plot on her daughter Amanda Ripley. Amanda could be searching for her mother, and perhaps eventually find her, leading to a brief but cathartic reunion. The biggest hurdle to any of these scenarios would be viewers' willingness to accept Ellen Ripley appearing in an Alien movie and not being at the center of the story, and making Amanda Ripley the main character could help alleviate that. There's also Weaver's willingness to do the same, as she's very protective of the Ripley character and may not like the idea of her taking a backseat to someone else. For now, though, the character remains retired and it may well be too late for Sigourney Weaver to return as Alien's iconic hero Ripley.
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