If you’re someone who loves Alien and the franchise that was built by Ridley Scott‘s work, the panel at NYCC is for you! On Friday, October 10th, fans were able to share an experience for the ages. Josh Horowitz, host of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, hosted a panel with Alien star and icon Sigourney Weaver talking about her work in the franchise as well as the roles who made her into the icon she is today. The panel was described as follows: “Join screen legend Sigourney Weaver as she sits down with Josh Horowitz of Happy Sad Confused to discuss her work in the legendary ALIEN films as well as her other iconic Sci-Fi roles. And….hinted that we could see her back in action!

The panel was a retrospective on Weaver and her work within the sci-fi genre and she is one of the best to ever do it. Characters like Ellen Ripley in Alien and the subsequent franchise were few and far between at the time and have become staples of the genre. So getting to hear what Weaver had to say about Ripley and working with Scott and directors like James Cameron and David Fincher throughout the franchise. And what Ripley as a character means to fans.

Horowitz and Weaver spoke about the future of Ripley and how producer Walter Hill wrote up pages about where the character is. “[‘Alien’ producer] Walter Hill is a very good friend of mine, and he wrote 50 pages of where Ripley would be now, and they’re quite extraordinary,” Weaver on stage. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I have had a meeting with Fox or Disney…I’ve never felt the need [to reprise the role]. I was always like, ‘Let her rest, let her recover.’ What Walter has written seems so true to me, as very much about the society that would incarcerate someone who has tried to help mankind, but she’s a problem to them, so she’s sort of tucked away. I think it’s a very strong first 50 pages. I’m thinking about working with Walter to see what the rest of the story would be.”

Sigourney Weaver Gave Us Ellen Ripley

Weaver is the kind of actor who has a legacy for her work. We all know Ghostbusters and her comedic work but for many, our love started with Ripley. We saw how she was the “final girl” of Scott’s film only to carry the franchise on her back moving forward. But the 1979 film was something special for fans. It would have been so easy to let Ripley be a victim but instead, she gets to be the hero in the end and that’s why we love her.

You can celebrate Weaver‘s work by watching Alien yourself!

via Collider