Noomi Rapace To Return For Alien: Covenant

One of the few bright spots in Ridley Scott's uneven Alien prequel Prometheus was Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, the archaeological researcher who finds a star map in Scotland leading directly to the discovery that sets the plot in motion. It was originally reported that Rapace would not be joining Scott's Prometheus sequel/Alien prequel, titled Alien: Covenant. But it seems plans have changed.

Sources tell Deadline that Rapace has been spotted in Australia, where production on Alien: Covenant is currently underway. This is the first of three Alien films in the pipeline, including a planned Covenant sequel and Neill Blomkamp's currently untitled Alien sequel, which has been announced and is in pre-production. Blomkamp's project will bring back Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and Michael Biehn as Corporal Dwayne Hicks, as well as a grown-up Newt, who's apparently survived being callously killed off in the opening titles of Alien 3 (the studio has, according to Biehn, decided to completely ignore the existences of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection). Scott hasn't said how Covenant will tie in with Blomkamp's project or the wider franchise in general, but Rapace's character is evidently necessary to move that story forward.