Sega Lures Back Original Movie Cast Members for ‘Alien: Isolation’

Chris Morris
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Ripley’s headed back to the Nostromo — and she’s bringing some friends with her.

Sigourney Weaver and several other cast members from the 1979 horror/sci-fi classic Alien have signed on to be part of Sega’s upcoming Alien: Isolation, but you’ll need to preorder the game to see and hear them.

Weaver (who played hero Ellen Ripley in the film and its sequels) — along with Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Stanton (Brett) and Yaphet Kotto (Parker) — have all agreed to do voice work for and lend their likenesses to a pair of bonus missions in the game. Ian Holm, who played Ash, has licensed his image to the game but will not be contributing any vocal work.

Preorder the game, and you’ll get a bonus level called “Crew Expendable,” which puts you in the shoes of Ripley, Dallas, or Parker as you try to lure the alien to the ship’s airlock. And if you preorder at GameStop, you’ll get another level where, as Ripley, you’ll have to navigate the Nostromo to activate the self-defense sequences and then retrace your steps to an escape shuttle.

It’s a notable get for Sega, as many of these actors have not been involved with previous Alien-themed games (and, really, who could blame them, given the track record of the titles?).

“Working with the original cast has been an incredible experience,” said Alistair Hope, creative lead on Alien: Isolation. “It was important to us to have the key original cast members reprise their roles in order to perfectly capture the atmosphere of the movie.”

The main story of Alien: Isolation will indeed revolve around a Ripley, but not the one Weaver made famous. The game centers on her daughter, who must scavenge resources and hide in order to stay alive. Like the original 1979 film, it’s less about shooting and more about tension and survival when faced with overwhelming odds. It’s also pee-your-pants scary at times.

The game, due Oct. 7, was a hit at E3 this year, with The Verge declaring it “the scariest thing” at the show — and Polygon’s Danielle Riendeau calling it “one of the most terrifying slices of a game I’ve ever played in my life.”

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