Sigourney Weaver Reveals Benedict Cumberbatch Was Considered to Replace Alan Rickman in a GALAXY QUEST Sequel

by · GeekTyrant

Fans have been waiting years to see a sequel to Galaxy Quest, but according to Sigourney Weaver, one of the versions that almost happened would have featured Benedict Cumberbatch stepping into a role inspired by the late Alan Rickman.

Speaking at New York Comic Con (via People), Weaver said: "They were absolutely going to do it and they had a very funny story."

The long-discussed sequel to the 1999 sci-fi comedy has faced plenty of challenges, and the death of Rickman in 2016 made the idea of returning to that world even more difficult.

Weaver, who played Gwen DeMarco in the original film, explained, "I think it would've happened by now. At a certain point, they talked about Benedict Cumberbatch playing a version of Alan [Rickman]'s part. It’s very hard to come back to it without Alan there."

Galaxy Quest is a hilarious, heartfelt parody of Star Trek fandom that follows the washed-up cast of a fictional sci-fi show who are mistaken by aliens for real heroes. Weaver’s Gwen was the ever-professional Lieutenant Tawny Madison, while Rickman’s Alexander Dane played the perpetually exasperated Dr. Lazarus, a classically trained actor trapped in the body of a space alien.

The movie also starred Tim Allen, Tony Shalhoub, and Sam Rockwell, and was directed by Dean Parisot, who later went on to direct Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Since its release, Galaxy Quest has become a cult favorite, and the idea of a sequel or series continuation has floated around Hollywood for years, even spawning a shelved Amazon project at one point. But, without Rickman, it would be hard to do it properly.

As for Weaver, she is set to return as Kiri, Jake and Neytiri’s adopted Na’vi daughter, in Avatar: Fire and Ash, which hits theaters on December 19. She’s also joining the Star Wars galaxy in The Mandalorian and Grogu, where she’ll play a New Republic colonel.

What do you think about Cumberbatch being concided to replace Rickman at some point in trying to get Galaxy Quest 2 off the ground?