Ridley Scott meets with Noomi Rapace, Carey Mulligan, and Abbie Cornish for 'Alien' prequel

Image Credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images; Everett CollectionEver since it was first announced that director Ridley Scott would, at long last, be revisiting the sci-fi franchise he launched with 1979’s Alien, we’ve been as giddy as schoolkids. Over time, little teasers and tidbits of intel have trickled out: Like the fact that the film would be a prequel (not a sequel), that it would be in 3-D, and that Scott was on the lookout for a fresh actress to play the younger version of Sigourney Weaver’s indelibly kick-ass heroine, Ripley. Now EW has confirmation from Scott’s camp that the director has been busy lately meeting with several young leading ladies for the juicy part, including An Education Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, Aussie actress Abbie Cornish (who appeared in Scott’s 2006 Russell Crowe flick A Good Year), and fresh-faced import Noomi Rapace, star of the Swedish Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movies. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Rob Brunner, Rapace hinted at this development, albeit a bit cagily:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Who are some of the people you met with when you were in L.A.?

NOOMI RAPACE: I met Ridley Scott. I’ve seen his films since I was a young teenager.

Which Ridley Scott movies are your favorites?

I’ve seen the Aliens [movies] many times. I love them. I saw Thelma and Louise maybe ten times when I was a teenager. I think I’ve seen all of his films over and over. I think he’s one of the great ones — one of those people who are always looking for a new road, a new way of telling stories.

Were you meeting about the Alien prequel?

No, he had seen my film and wanted to say hello to me. It was not specifically about anything.

Is that a part you’d be interested in?

I can seem myself in all good parts. I can see myself playing a 50-year-old as well. If it’s a good script, then I can fall in love with almost every character that attracts something in me.

Well played, Ms. Rapace. But now that Scott’s spokesperson has confirmed that she was indeed one of the actresses the director met with to play Ripley, what do you think? Who would you like to see in the part? — Additional reporting by Rob Brunner