I’ve spent years wondering what Neill Blomkamp‘s Alien 5 would’ve looked like. The concept art he dropped in early 2015 was haunting—Ripley in a spacesuit, scarred and older, standing next to a grown-up Newt. It promised a direct sequel to Aliens that would’ve erased Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection from continuity, bringing back Michael Biehn’s Hicks and Carrie Henn’s Newt alongside Sigourney Weaver‘s Ripley.
- The Script That Almost Was
- Ridley Scott’s Prequels vs. Blomkamp’s Sequel
- Walter Hill’s Alien V Treatment
- Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth Gets Weaver’s Blessing
- What We Lost When Blomkamp’s Sequel Died
- The Franchise That Can’t Let Go
- What Ripley’s Legacy Deserves
- What You Should Know About the Cancelled Alien Sequels
- FAQ
Fox greenlit it. Weaver and James Cameron both read the script and called it amazing. And then it died.
For years, the official line was vague—creative differences, scheduling conflicts, the usual Hollywood euphemisms. But on Friday, November 7th, 2025, at a screening of Ridley Scott‘s original Alien at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, Weaver finally said what many of us already suspected: Ridley Scott killed it.
During a 60-minute masterclass moderated by Frédéric Bonnaud, an audience member asked Weaver about Blomkamp’s cancelled sequel. Her answer was diplomatic but devastatingly clear:
“It was a wonderful script and unfortunately, it was at that point I think that Ridley Scott decided to be very possessive about the series and really drilled down on his prequels. And so I think it was a disaster for that project. We were never able to… I think Neill in fact just gave up and he’s so talented. I wish him all the best.”
A disaster. Those were her words. Not “unfortunate timing” or “creative pivots.” A disaster.
The Script That Almost Was
Weaver’s admiration for Blomkamp was evident throughout her comments. She worked with him on Chappie in 2015—a film that divided critics but showcased Blomkamp’s singular visual style and his ability to blend human emotion with gritty sci-fi spectacle. She called his early work “striking” and said she loved collaborating with him.
When Blomkamp pitched the idea of bringing Ripley and Newt back, Weaver was in. The concept wasn’t just fan service—it was a chance to explore what happens to Ripley after the events of Aliens, to give her the continuation she deserved instead of the bleak, nihilistic trajectory Alien 3 imposed on her.
The script existed. Both Weaver and Cameron confirmed that. Ridley Scott has claimed otherwise, insisting there was only a treatment or an idea, never a full screenplay. But when two people as embedded in the franchise as Weaver and Cameron both say they read a script, you believe them.
What was in it? We’ll probably never know. But based on Blomkamp’s concept art and his track record with films like District 9 and Elysium, it’s safe to assume it would’ve been gritty, emotional, and visually inventive. It would’ve honored the Aliens aesthetic—practical effects, grounded terror, characters who felt like real people caught in impossible situations.
And it would’ve given Ripley agency. Not just survival, but purpose. A chance to reckon with her past and protect the people she saved in Aliens instead of losing them all in the opening minutes of Alien 3.
Ridley Scott’s Prequels vs. Blomkamp’s Sequel
Here’s where it gets messy. Ridley Scott created Alien in 1979, one of the most influential horror films ever made. He earned the right to revisit the universe. But by 2015, when Blomkamp’s project was gaining traction, Scott was deep into his prequel phase—first with Prometheus in 2012, then with Alien: Covenant in 2017.
Prometheus was divisive. It asked big questions about creation and mythology but delivered muddled answers. Covenant doubled down on the prequel approach, focusing on Michael Fassbender‘s David and the origins of the xenomorph. Both films had their fans, but neither recaptured the raw, claustrophobic terror of the original Alien or the kinetic action-horror of Aliens.
And yet, Scott wanted more. He had plans for additional prequels, mapping out the franchise’s timeline in exhaustive detail. According to Weaver, that possessiveness over the franchise led him to block Blomkamp’s sequel. The studio sided with Scott—understandably, given his legacy—and Alien 5 was shelved by the end of 2015.
Blomkamp gave up. Weaver moved on. And the Alien franchise continued down the prequel path, delivering diminishing returns at the box office and with critics.
Walter Hill’s Alien V Treatment
During the same Paris masterclass, Weaver mentioned another Alien project that’s been circulating quietly: a 50-page treatment titled Alien V, written by Walter Hill, the producer of the original 1979 film.
Weaver first revealed Hill’s treatment in 2020 and described it as “quite extraordinary.” In Paris, she offered more details. Hill’s vision doesn’t involve Ripley running through airshafts or battling xenomorphs in traditional action setpieces. Instead, it imagines an older Ripley—around 200 years old, sidelined by society, by Weyland-Yutani, by the world she once fought to save.
It’s a radically different approach. Not a retcon of Alien 3 like Blomkamp’s sequel, but a meditation on aging, obsolescence, and corporate capitalism in a universe where the xenomorph threat still looms. Weaver admitted she’s “never particularly wanted to go back to the series,” but Hill’s treatment intrigues her.
She also mentioned a detail that feels painfully relevant in 2025: the idea of a world where “each tech bro owns a planet.” It’s not hard to imagine. The Alien franchise has always been about corporate greed and exploitation, but Hill’s treatment seems to lean into that with even sharper cultural critique.
Will it ever get made? Unclear. But the fact that Weaver’s engaging with it at all suggests she’s still thinking about Ripley’s legacy—and what might’ve been.
Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth Gets Weaver’s Blessing
Weaver also had high praise for Noah Hawley’s upcoming Alien: Earth series, calling it “remarkable” and “terrifying about our world.” She described it as a vision of a future where “each tech bro owns a planet”—a world that feels disturbingly close to our own.
Hawley, best known for Fargo and Legion, is taking the Alien franchise to television for the first time. The series is set on Earth before the events of the original film, exploring how humanity first encounters the xenomorph threat. It’s a bold concept, and Weaver’s enthusiasm for it suggests Hawley understands what makes the franchise resonate: not just the monsters, but the systems that create them.
Her comments also reveal something important: Weaver’s not bitter about the Alien franchise. She’s not clinging to Ripley or demanding that every new entry honor her character. She just wants the universe to thrive. And when she sees projects like Hawley’s that have “legs,” as she put it, she’s genuinely excited.
What We Lost When Blomkamp’s Sequel Died
The cancellation of Blomkamp’s Alien 5 wasn’t just a missed opportunity. It was a choice—a decision by the studio and Ridley Scott to prioritize the prequels over a sequel that fans and the franchise’s most iconic actress were clearly invested in.
Would Blomkamp’s film have been great? Maybe. Maybe not. Chappie and Elysium were flawed, and Blomkamp’s never made a film as universally beloved as District 9. But the script was there. The concept art was stunning. And the creative team—Weaver, Blomkamp, Cameron as a potential producer—had the potential to deliver something special.
Instead, we got Alien: Covenant, which underperformed at the box office and failed to build momentum for Scott’s planned sequels. Those additional prequels never materialized. And the Alien franchise drifted, trying to find its footing through video games, comics, and now Hawley’s series.
Blomkamp’s sequel would’ve been a risk. But it was a risk rooted in character, emotion, and a genuine love for Aliens. It would’ve honored what Cameron built while pushing Ripley’s story forward. And now it’s just concept art and a “wonderful script” that most of us will never read.
The Franchise That Can’t Let Go
The Alien franchise has always been about survival. But lately, it feels like the franchise itself is the one struggling to survive—caught between nostalgia for the original films and a desire to expand the mythology in ways that don’t always land.
Ridley Scott’s prequels asked fascinating questions but delivered unsatisfying answers. Blomkamp’s sequel would’ve ignored those questions entirely, focusing instead on the emotional aftermath of Aliens. Walter Hill’s treatment imagines a future where Ripley’s story continues in unexpected ways. And Noah Hawley’s series takes the franchise to television, exploring Earth’s first encounter with the xenomorph.
All of these approaches have merit. But the fact that Blomkamp’s sequel—the one that Weaver called “wonderful,” the one that Cameron endorsed, the one that fans were desperate to see—never happened feels like a tragedy.
Maybe Ridley Scott was right to protect his vision. Maybe the prequels needed to happen before the franchise could move forward. But Weaver’s comments in Paris make it clear: she believes Blomkamp’s project was killed by possessiveness, not creative necessity. And that’s a hard thing to argue with when the woman who is Ripley is the one saying it.
What Ripley’s Legacy Deserves
I keep coming back to Weaver’s description of Hill’s treatment—the idea of an older Ripley, sidelined by the world she saved, still reckoning with the xenomorph threat at 200 years old. It’s such a potent image. Not Ripley as action hero, but Ripley as survivor, as witness, as someone who’s lived long enough to see the systems she fought against grow even stronger.
That’s the kind of story the Alien franchise needs. Not another prequel explaining the origins of the xenomorph. Not another group of expendable crew members getting picked off one by one. But a story about what it costs to survive—and what it means to keep fighting when the world has moved on without you.
Blomkamp’s sequel might’ve delivered that. Hill’s treatment might still. Or maybe the franchise will keep drifting, caught between the past and a future it can’t quite commit to.
Either way, Weaver’s right: it was a disaster. And we’re still living with the aftermath.
What You Should Know About the Cancelled Alien Sequels
Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 Was Greenlit by Fox
The project was announced in early 2015 with concept art showing Ripley, Hicks, and an adult Newt. Fox approved it, but it was shelved by the end of the year when Ridley Scott committed to Alien: Covenant.
Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron Both Read the Script
Despite Ridley Scott’s claims that only a treatment existed, both Weaver and Cameron confirmed they read Blomkamp’s full screenplay and praised it.
Ridley Scott’s Possessiveness Killed the Project
Weaver stated in Paris that Scott “decided to be very possessive about the series” and prioritized his prequels, calling it “a disaster” for Blomkamp’s sequel.
Walter Hill Has Written a 50-Page Alien V Treatment
The original Alien producer has crafted a radically different vision: an older Ripley, around 200 years old, sidelined by society but still facing the xenomorph threat.
Weaver Praises Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth Series
She called the upcoming TV series “remarkable” and “terrifying,” highlighting its commentary on corporate power and tech oligarchs owning entire planets.
FAQ
Was Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 ever fully scripted?
Yes. Despite Ridley Scott’s claims that only a treatment existed, both Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron confirmed they read a full screenplay and praised it. Weaver called it “wonderful” during her Paris masterclass.
Why did Ridley Scott block Blomkamp’s sequel?
According to Weaver, Scott became “very possessive about the series” and prioritized his prequel films (Prometheus, Alien: Covenant). She described his intervention as “a disaster for that project.”
Will Walter Hill’s Alien V treatment ever get made?
Unknown. Weaver finds Hill’s vision “intriguing”—an older Ripley in a world dominated by corporate oligarchs—but there’s no production timeline or studio commitment yet.
Would Blomkamp’s Alien 5 have erased Alien 3?
Yes. The project was intended as a direct sequel to Aliens, ignoring the events of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection, and bringing back Michael Biehn as Hicks and Carrie Henn as Newt.
Is the Alien franchise in good hands now?
Weaver seems optimistic about Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth series, calling it “remarkable.” But the cancellation of Blomkamp’s sequel remains a painful what-if for fans who wanted to see Ripley’s story continue.
Source: AVPGalaxy
