Director James Cameron has been in the industry for decades and has produced some of the best of Hollywood so far with films like Titanic, Avatar, Terminator, and many others. And years of experience in the industry have taught the filmmaker to get his own way to get things done. And he did something similar to bring Sigourney Weaver back for the sequel of the 1979 sci-fi horror Alien, who was not interested in reprising her role as Ellen Ripley.
James Cameron Tricked Sigourney Weaver to Star in Aliens
Sigourney Weaver starred as Ellen Ripley in the original Alien film, and it would be hard for fans to imagine someone else portraying the character. But the American actress did not want to reprise her role in the following sequels of the film. However, James Cameron, who was set to direct the 1986 sequel, was adamant about having her back as Ellen Ripley.
During an interview with GQ, the Titanic director shared how he tricked the Heartbreakers star to return to the sequel. Knowing that Weaver and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s agents were from the same agency, he created a bluff for Lou Pitt, Schwarzenegger’s agent.
Cameron told him he would cut Sigourney Weaver’s character and rewrite the script for Aliens. However, he did not plan on doing it, as he knew that Lou Pitt would suggest Weaver’s agent sign her up for the movie. “And guess what? The deal was done in 12 hours after that,” the Terminator director shared.
The Ghostbusters actress went on to star in two more sequels in the series, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Cameron and Sigourney Weaver reunited for the 2009 sci-fi film Avatar and its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. She is also expected to reprise her character in future Avatar films.
Sigourney Weaver on Returning to the Alien Franchise
Sigourney Weaver was last seen in the 1997 film Alien Resurrection. The franchise, however, continued with crossover films with the Predator franchise and with the 2012 and 2017 prequel movies Prometheus and Covenant, respectively.
There are reports that a new film under the franchise is also under development, and filmmaker Fede Alvarez would write and direct the movie. However, Sigourney Weaver doesn’t have any plans to return to the franchise. She has shared that she had plans to return to the franchise with Neill Blomkamp’s film.
However, the project never saw the light of day, and with it, the Red Lights actress also canceled her plans to return to the film series. “I really wanted to do with Neill Blomkamp, and we didn’t get to do that, but, you know, that ship has sailed,” she shared during an interview with Total Film.
Sigourney Weaver’s Alien franchise is available on Prime Video.
Source: GQ
