Alien: Romulus contains several call-backs to earlier movies in the franchise (some subtle, others... not so much), but aside from that quote towards the end, there didn't appear to be any direct references or nods to Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ellen Ripley.
Or so we thought!
While chatting to the ReelBlend podcast, director Fede Álvarez revealed that there are “a few clues I’ve planted in the movie,” before adding that “it kind of defeats the whole purpose” if he reveals exactly what they are.
The filmmaker also suggests that there may have been early discussions about somehow working Ripley into the movie.
“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. Because no one knows exactly what happened in all those years that she’s been drifting away. I cannot say more. I think for legal reasons, I cannot say more. I would say it’s not impossible. I think it’s totally possible that it could’ve been a part of this story somehow.”
Well, what happened was... she was asleep in her cryotube! Unless they were planning to include a shot of Ripley floating through space in the Narcissus escape shuttle, we're really not sure how the character could have been integrated into this particular story. Álvarez not being able to go into too much detail due to "legal reasons" is certainly interesting, though.
"Not a perfect organism, but despite an overreliance on retreading over old ground, Alien: Romulus does mark a thrilling return to form, and is surely destined to be ranked as the third-best Alien movie," we said in our review of Alien: Romulus.
"The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe."
The film stars Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), David Jonsson (Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Spike Fearn (Aftersun), and Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (Don’t Breathe 2) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.
Alien: Romulus is produced by Ridley Scott (Napoleon), who directed the original Alien and produced and directed the series’ entries Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, Michael Pruss (Boston Strangler), and Walter Hill (Alien), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (Charlie’s Angels), Brent O’Connor (Bullet Train), and Tom Moran (Unstoppable) serving as executive producers.