Cameos seem to have hit a fever pitch within the last few years, especially with the Marvel and Star Wars properties that are constantly reintroducing old stars. But FX’s Alien series won’t be bringing back the biggest name in the franchise: Ellen Ripley.
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According to Deadline, FX Chief John Landgraf said that the Alien series takes place near the end of the 21st century on Earth. And while not wildly out of the time period from the first film that’s set in 2122, Landgraf said that no characters from that movie would be in the series.
“Alien takes place before Ripley,” he said. “It’s the first story that takes place in the Alien franchise on Earth. So, it takes place on our planet. Right near the end of this century we’re in, so 70 odd years from now. Ripley won’t be a part of it or any of the other characters of Alien other than the alien itself.”
However, Landgraf said some “big surprises” are in store for viewers, but obviously did not hint at what those could be. He didn’t definitively rule out cameos from the other entries, but it would be unlikely to star many or any figures from the main Alien quadrilogy, given the massive time jumps between a few of the films. Even though there’s no indication that they are, if these “surprises” are somehow cameos, then they could possibly be from Prometheus or Alien: Covenant, given how the two take place sometime around the show.
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Sigourney Weaver has previously spoken about letting the character stay where she is. In 2020, she said that Ripley has “done her bit” and “deserves a rest.” Weaver did previously reprise the character in the well-received horror game Alien: Isolation. She, along with most of the cast from the first film, provided her voice and likeness for two DLC packs that explored scenarios from the 1979 movie in video game form. Weaver’s voice can also be heard in the main campaign, too. She told The Mary Sue that she came back for this game because it was the “first one that seemed to [her] to be very ambitious in a new direction.”
