Weaver appeared two years later as Warrant Officer / Lieutenant Ripley in Ridley Scott's blockbuster film "Alien" (1979), in a role initially designated to co-star British-born actress, Veronica Cartwright, until a late change in casting. Cartwright stated to World Entertainment News Network (WENN) that she was in England ready to start work on "Alien" when she discovered that she would be playing the navigator Lambert in the project, and Weaver had been given the lead role of Ripley. Weaver reprised the role in the three sequels of the "Alien" movie franchise, "Aliens", "Alien 3", and "Alien Resurrection". Ty Burr of "The Boston Globe" states, "One of the real pleasures of "Alien" is to watch the emergence of both Ellen Ripley as a character and Sigourney Weaver as a star."