New Alien Star Responds To Ripley Comparisons After Romulus Trailer’s Clear Parallel

Alien: Romulus star Cailee Spaeny addresses the comparisons between her new character and Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley after the film’s trailer dropped. Directed by Fede Álvarez, the latest installment in the long-running Alien franchise serves as a soft reboot of sorts, following a young crew as they encounter a deadly xenomorph. As teased in the latest trailer, the upcoming film features a number of elements that are reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s 1979 franchise-starter, the film responsible for first introducing Weaver’s Ripley.

Following the release of the first Alien: Romulus trailer, which gives Spaeny’s new protagonist, Rain, a clear Ripley moment, the actor now responds to the comparisons in a recent interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar). Spaeny has nothing but positive things to say about Weaver’s iconic role, revealing that the comparisons weren’t lost on her. Check out her comments below:

“I definitely did everything that I could to bring that character to life. Watching Sigourney play that role – she’s part of the changing of the game that those films did. I could never be her. But I injected whatever I have in me into that character, and tried to make it three-dimensional – as three-dimensional as possible. So I hope that that’s there, and it comes alive.”

Will Alien: Romulus’ Rain Become The New Ripley?

Where The Alien Franchise Could Go From Here

Ripley was the sole survivor at the end 1979’s Alien, and she would go on to appear in the subsequent three sequels. Although she gets a handful of epic moments in the original film, James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens, cements Ripley as an action hero. While the following two films proved generally very divisive, Ripley’s status as one of cinema’s most beloved heroes had already been cemented.

It’s unclear whether Spaeny’s Rain will have what it takes to become a Ripley-like figure, but the Alien: Romulus trailer suggests the movie is returning to the franchise’s roots in many ways. In the larger Alien timeline, the film happens between the first two movies, and it looks as if it is taking the horror from Scott’s original and the action from Cameron’s sequel and combining them, to a certain extent. Considering these two films are widely regarded as the franchise’s best, this could result in Rain emerging as a new figure around which to build future films.

It’s still too early to say what the plan for the franchise is beyond Alien: Romulus, but if the film can successfully bring new audiences into the fold and rejuvenate the IP following the disappointment of Alien: Covenant, it’s possible a direct sequel will get the green light. Recent installments have lacked a compelling hero figure that survives more than one movie, and Rain could be just the character to change this. Many questions remain about Alien: Romulus, but Ripley’s shoes will evidently be a true challenge to fill.