Alien Romulus brings back major original star in shock twist

Sigourney Weaver – who played the iconic Ellen Ripley in the first four films – is, of course, the most closely associated with the franchise, but all manner of other talented stars have appeared in important roles throughout the series.

Ridley Scott's original film alone featured John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto, while other big names to have left their mark since include Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Charles Dance, Winona Ryder, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Michael Fassbender. Not a bad list.

The new film, Alien: Romulus, focuses mainly on a young cast of rising stars – with Priscilla's Cailee Spaeny leading the way – but in a shock twist, it also features a throwback to the very first film, one that seems certain to fiercely divide audiences and fuel debate as to the ethics of the decision.

That's because the likeness of Ian Holm – who sadly passed away in 2020 – is used for a new synthetic human character that the cast discover when exploring the abandoned space station on which much of the film is based.

This character is not the same one, Ash, who Holm played in the original 1979 film but rather a different version of a similar model – named Rook.

And this isn't just a cameo: Rook is a fully-fledged character. We learn that he had previously served as the science officer on Romulus, where he had been carrying out some important research that goes on to play a huge role in the events of the film.

How did Alien: Romulus bring back Ian Holm?

At this stage, no precise information has been revealed about the process of creating the character of Rook, but it is clear that it was augmented by artificial intelligence using previous footage of Holm.

In the film's closing credits, Holm himself is listed as providing "facial and vocal reference" for the character while another actor, Daniel Betts – whose previous credits include Gentleman Jack and After the Flood – is credited for "facial and vocal performance".

Presumably, permission was granted from Holm's estate to use the late actor's likeness, but it still seems certain to cause a degree of controversy – as has been the case when actors have been brought back from the dead in other films, including Peter Cushing in Rogue One and Harold Ramis in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

When we learn more about the process – possibly from the film's director Fede Álvarez – we'll update this page accordingly.

Holm is probably now best known for his performance as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, but he appeared in a huge range of roles throughout his career, with other highlights including Brazil, The Madness of King George, The Sweet Hereafter and The Aviator.

Alien: Romulus will be released in cinemas on Friday 16th August.

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