Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Alien’ Movie Would Be an Ending for Ripley

Death didn’t end Ellen Ripley’s story. (Uh, spoiler alert.) But supposedly Neill Blomkamp might.

Although the movie was put on hold to make room for Ridley Scott’s upcoming Alien prequel, Alien: Covenant, longtime Alien franchise star Sigourney Weaver is still bullish (or even bull alien-ish) about the prospect of teaming with District 9 and Elysium director Neill Blomkamp on a direct sequel to Alien and Aliens that would have basically ignored the final two Alien sequels (including the one where Weaver’s Ripley died, and the one where was brought back as a clone).

With the big Aliens 30th anniversary coming up later this month, and a major reunion panel planned at Comic-Con, Weaver spoke with Entertainment Weekly about what Blomkamp’s movie would do for Ripley’s character arc, and why she was so interested in making it. “It’s a great story,” she said, “and it’s satisfying to me to give this woman an ending.” When death itself doesn’t give a character an ending, I‘m kind of fascinated to hear what does.

Weaver also noted that while Blomkamp’s script was full of original touches, it “also really satisfies the ... primal needs of the aliens.” She also commended the script for paying tribute to directors like Scott and James Cameron who built the Alien franchise into a queen-sized juggernaut, while also going off in “a completely new direction.”

Cool, cool. But what are the odds, in a post-Alien: Convenant world, that it actually happens? Weaver says she’s hopeful but also admitted that she’s committed to making several Avatar sequels with Cameron, and Blomkamp has projects on his plate as well. “So we’ll have to see what happens when we get back,” Weaver said, “when those projects are over.” Ripley’s ending will have to wait for a little bit longer. Alien: Covenant opens in theaters on August 4, 2017.