The Real Reason Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 Was Canceled, According to Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver finally said the quiet part out loud about why Neill Blomkamp's Alien 5 fell apart. Short version: timing, turf, and Ridley Scott's prequels.

First, a quick refresher

Weaver is Ellen Ripley, period. She launched with Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien and came back for three sequels: James Cameron's Aliens, David Fincher's Alien 3, and 1997's Alien Resurrection. In the mid-2010s, District 9 filmmaker Neill Blomkamp started cooking up an Alien 5 that would bring Weaver back yet again.

So what happened to Alien 5?

Speaking at a recent Alien screening at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris, Weaver laid it out. According to AVPGalaxy, she loved Blomkamp's pitch, had a great time working with him on Chappie, and was ready to jump in. His idea reportedly brought Ripley and Newt back, and the script, in her words, was 'wonderful.'

'Ridley Scott decided to be very possessive about the series and really drilled down on his prequels. It was a disaster for that project... I think Neill just gave up. He is so talented. I wish him all the best.'

That tracks with the larger franchise shuffle. Scott had already returned to the universe with 2012's Prometheus and then doubled down with 2017's Alien: Covenant. Covenant underperformed at the box office, which put future plans on ice for a while. In that window, Blomkamp's Alien 5 essentially lost its lane.

Where the franchise went instead

• Ridley Scott's Alien kicked it all off in 1979, followed by Aliens (James Cameron), Alien 3 (David Fincher), and 1997's Alien Resurrection, all with Weaver as Ripley.
• In the mid-2010s, Neill Blomkamp announced Alien 5 with Weaver set to return. His concept included bringing Ripley and Newt back. Weaver says a script existed and she was in.
• Scott pivoted the franchise toward prequels: Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017). After Covenant disappointed financially, the studio slowed down other Alien moves, and Blomkamp's project faded.
• Alien: Romulus hit theaters last year, and a sequel to that is now in development.
• Blomkamp's most recent film was 2023's Gran Turismo. Last spring, it was announced he is writing and directing a new adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers.

The read-between-the-lines version

This is one of those behind-the-scenes traffic jams: a beloved lead ready to return, a director with a fan-pleasing idea, and a franchise steward pushing a different vision at the exact same time. Weaver's comments suggest Blomkamp's Alien 5 wasn't killed by lack of interest, but by the franchise choosing a lane that left no room for his version. And once Covenant stumbled, the momentum was gone.