Sigourney Weaver Rewrote “A Whole Chunk” of Her Lines for Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation is widely considered one of the best horror games of all time, and much of its legacy comes from how brilliantly it captures the aesthetic of Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece. The original game follows Ellen Ripley’s daughter, the only survivor of the creature that made its way aboard the Nostromo, as she searches for information about her mother’s disappearance.

During Amanda’s search, she comes across voice notes her mother left behind. Development studio Creative Assembly was able to convince original actor Sigourney Weaver to reprise her role for these lines; a huge win for the team. Creative director of both the original game and its upcoming sequel, Al Hope, called getting Weaver to play Ripley once more a “pinch yourself moment.”

“Getting Sigourney [Weaver] to reprise her role for the game really was a pinch yourself moment”

Hope said at a developer panel for Alien: Isolation 2 in London.

“We built this game, this world, with the idea that ‘but what if we did actually build the Nostromo and we could convince people to come back and reprise their roles’.”

The team hasn’t confirmed whether anyone from the original film will return for Alien: Isolation 2. However, since it’s a completely new story with a new protagonist, it seems unlikely we’ll see anything more than a cameo. That stands even if it’s set in the same universe, starting out with a crashed vessel near the site of the original game’s Sevastopol. When it comes to the original, Hope suggests that through her work, Weaver helped to shape the original game by using her knowledge and care for Ellen Ripley as a character.

“Sigourney was absolutely amazing”

he said.

“In her performance, but [also] her engagement. She rewrote a whole chunk of her lines. She really cares about that character. To have her reprise her role, to deliver the lines for the game, which were so pivotal, was absolutely incredible.”

Hope’s comments show just how influential actors and voice actors can be on a game’s development. GameWatcher got hands-on with a preview of the prologue, which features minimal but excellent voice acting and character development, leaving us excited to see how it all comes together.