Sunday February 4 9:12 PM ET
Weaver lands deal to make Alien 5-report
LONDON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - More than 20 years after the first "Alien''
film shocked audiences around the world, U.S. actress Sigourney
Weaver has agreed to play musclebound heroine Ripley for a fifth
time, the Sunday Express reported.
The British paper said the film -- which will be set on Earth for
the first time -- would be released in 2004, the 25th anniversary
of the original.
"I've always wanted to do one where we go back to the planet from
where the alien originally came or even get to Earth,'' Weaver was
quoted as telling the newspaper.
The 51-year-old actress will also be executive-producer on "Alien
5,'' written by "Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' creator Joss Whedon.
Fans thought the films' run had come to an end when Weaver's character
was killed off in "Alien3'' in 1992, but she was successfully cloned
to reappear in "Alien Resurrection'' in 1997.
The Sunday Express said she would be paid 15 million pounds ($22
million) for her work. If the figure is correct, it would mean Weaver
is earning as much as the likes of Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise. Hollywood
trade paper Daily Variety reported in 1996 she received $11 million
and a share of potential profits for "Alien Resurrection'' and
$5 million for "Alien3.''
Reuters/Variety REUTERS
