Don't worry! Alien 5 is still happening. At least according to star Sigourney Weaver. Before 20th Century Fox officially announced Ridley Scott's next movie was Alien: Covenant, it was widely reported that District 9 director Neill Blomkamp was moving forward on Alien 5. It was said to be a true sequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 original Alien and James Cameron's first sequel, 1986's Aliens. It wouldn't completely obliterate 1992's Alien 3 and 1997's Alien Resurrection from the timeline. But it would bring back Corporal Dwayne Hicks, Newt and Ellen Ripley. Fans were genuinely excited for this next chapter in the sci-fi saga. But once Alien: Covenant got the green light, Alien 5 seemed to enter into a strange limbo. Some even thought it was being canceled. That's not true, though, says Weaver.

Speaking with Aggressive Comix, Alien franchise star Sigourney Weaver, who originated the role of Ripley for the big screen, reiterates that Alien 5 is simply on hiatus. And she would be very surprised if 20th Century Fox didn't make it and some point in the near future. Though fans were quite excited to hear that Neill Blomkamp was planning a movie more inline with Aliens than anything that has come from the franchise since 1986, the only reason it stalled was because Ridley Scott asked the filmmaker if he could wait until after Alien: Covenant hit theaters to move ahead with the project. Asked if it's still happening, Sigourney Weaver says this.

"Well, I *think* it is. Ridley asked Neill NOT to make our Alien til after Prometheus 2. He (Ridley) wanted his movie to shoot and be released first. But it's an AMAZING script, and Neill and I are REALLY excited about doing it. We're doing other things until we can get going on that. I'd be really surprised if we DIDN'T do it, because it's such a great script, and we love working together. So, it's just going to take a little bit longer to get out to you, but it'll be worth the wait."

Some thought Alien 5 had been terminated for good. But it's obvious that both the director and star are excited for this next chapter in the Ripley saga. And they still hold a lot of passionate for it. Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant is not so much a sequel to Prometheus as one would expect, though it does bring back Michael Fassbender as David. It is said to set up a new trilogy, and will have ties to Ripley's character. Though, it isn't known if baby Ripley will be seen in the movie, the timeline matches up so that this is possible.

Alien: Covenant was reportedly set to start shooting this month, but we haven't gotten an official production start announcement from 20th Century Fox. It is confirmed to shoot sometime before summer with a set release date of August 4, 2017. Alien 5, on the other hand, doesn't have a start date or a release date. And none of the actors have been officially confirmed, though it has been widely reported that Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn are coming back. There is even a rumor that Carrie Henn may reprise her role as a grown-up Newt. Though, she hasn't acted in a movie since 1986's Aliens.