There has been a neverending stream of speculation about the future of the “Alien” franchise probably since the very moment “Alien Resurrection” crashed and burned with most fans. Could James Cameron or Ridley Scott be weighing a return to the franchise or would we be cursed with more Predator crossovers? These are the questions that can try a man’s soul.

But wait, there is hope! When I chatted with Sigourney Weaver the other day (check out her take on the “Ghostbusters” sequel here), the actress definitely seemed to still have plans for her iconic alter-ego. “There’s definitely uncharted territory for Ripley,” she promised.

However Weaver wondered if the alien itself can and should factor into another film after the exposure its gotten in two “AVP” films. She asked aloud “whether there’s unchartered territory for a creature who’s become somewhat debased by this computer generated thing. I haven’t seen ["Alien Vs. Predator"] but I just think if you overexpose the creature, that’s a mistake.”

Weaver confirmed that she and Scott have discussed re-teaming for a fifth film, “Both of us feel a kind of commitment to that woman. He’s as much responsible for who she is as I am.” Then as she opined on the way the alien creature had been ruined in the recent films, Weaver’s comments got especially interesting.

“We’d have to go back to the drawing board on [the alien],” she said. “Ridley said that right away when we first talked about [a fifth film].”

And finally, the quote that’s gotten me mighty curious, “What we’re interested in is taking the character of Ripley and seeing what other science fiction story we can tell about someone who has lived several lives.”

I didn’t really process what Weaver was saying at the time I suppose but it sounds to me like we might be less looking at “Alien 5″ and more of “Chronicles of Ripley.” Are Scott and Weaver thinking about an altogether different type of sci-fi adventure for the character? Color me intrigued.

Are you?