Neill Blomkamp reveals why HIS Alien movie didn't happen

There was a time when Neill Blomkamp was poised and ready to make a new Alien movie that would have seen Sigourney Weaver return as Ellen Ripley.

Alien was released in 1979. It was a claustrophobic horror set in space, with hero Ellen Ripley and her crewmates of the Nostromo terrorised by an extraterrestrial that would eventually be known as a Xenomorph. The original trilogy continued with Aliens, directed by James Cameron, who added more of an action element to the story, while David Fincher's Alien 3 was set on a remote prison planet.

What are the top 10 most popular shows on Amazon Prime right now?

Tuesday 10 February 2026, 14:38

What are the top 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now?

Monday 9 February 2026, 15:27

READ MORE: Sigourney Weaver will never play Ellen Ripley again

Weaver would return for Alien: Resurrection in 1997. Over a decade later, Scott would return to direct the prequel movie set in the Alien universe, Prometheus and that was followed by Alien: Covenant.

Blomkamp had an idea in mind and even pitched his idea to FOX and Weaver, but the studio would instead choose Fede Alvarez to press ahead with his vision.

"I’m not sure that I would do that project. My assumption is that it’s completely dead," the District 9 and Chappie director told The Independent.

"It was a case of both projects were moving forward at Fox simultaneously, and one of them was picked. Sigourney was unbelievably supportive and amazing. I have nothing but the best things to say about Sigourney. I’m such a fan of hers on every level. She was always into the project, but Fox just clearly doesn’t want it. I haven’t had anything to do with that for years."

Alien's strong female leads

The Alien series has become famed for having strong female characters at the centre of the movies. Weaver led the way as Ripley, but after her, we had Naomi Rapace and Charlize Theron in Prometheus and Katherine Waterston in Alien: Covenant.

Weaver is proud that Ripley helped pave the way.

"I’m so glad Ripley’s had that staying power," she explained.

"In those days, films would always have a scene where the girl in the skirt is doing something heroic and then she’ll break down. Well, Walter Hill and David Giler never wrote Ripley like that.

"These were guys, like Ridley, who loved women and were with strong women so it was natural to them to create a character like her.

"Ripley has to go from being a by-the-book young lieutenant to throwing the book out the window and just improvising her way through things, which is life, and it sends the message that you can do it, no matter what it is."