Alien: Romulusfeatured the synthetic character of Rook, modeled as a CGI recreation of the late Ian Holm, begging the question of which actors would have been a better choice in the role. GivenAlien: Romulus' place on theAlientimeline, it makes in-universe sense to have the likeness of Holm used for the android known as Rook;Alien:Romulusis sandwiched betweenAlienandAliens, with Holm’s Ash being the main android character used in the former. As such, by the time ofAlien: Romulus' climactic ending, it became easier to understand the thought process behind using Holm.
That said, the decision did cause outside criticism due to the fact that Holm passed away in 2020. AlthoughAlien: Romulusis overall considered to be one of thebest-rankedAlienmovies, Holm’s posthumous appearance was controversial due to the arguments over the morality of reviving actors onscreen. While Rook’s character worked within the context of the movie itself, it was difficult for many to differentiateAlien: Romulusfrom these moral discussions, leading to the exploration of several other actors who would have worked better as Rook, the android ofAlien’s Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
5Michael Fassbender
Appeared in Prometheus & Alien: Covenant
One of the more obvious choices for theandroid character inAlien: Romuluswas Michael Fassbender. Fassbender first appeared in 2012’sPrometheusas David, an android created by the founder of the Weyland Corp, Peter Weyland. David was sent to LV-223 alongside the crew of the USCSS Prometheus to find the Engineers of the human race. David’s fascination with the Engineers saw him take a villainous turn, one that influenced the creation of the Xenomorph variant known as the Protomorph inAlien: Covenant.
I Wish Alien: Romulus Brought Back A Different Actor To Be Rook
Rook is one of the biggest points of contention in the new Alien: Romulus movie. I’d rather have seen a different actor returning to the franchise.
For many, Fassbender and his two characters, David and later the android Walter, were considered the best aspects of Ridley Scott’sAlienprequel movies.Fassbender’s performance was endlessly satisfying, and his characters were integral to the exploration of the Xenomorphs and the wider lore of theAlienfranchisefound inPrometheusandAlien: Covenant. Given thatAlien: Romulus' central MacGuffin is named the “Prometheus Fire” and is what Rook is so committed to securing for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, it would have made thematic sense for Fassbender to be used for the character.
Having Fassbender play Rook would have allowed him to perform as a synthetic committed to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, all while tying the actor back to his earlier roles…
Furthermore, this would have allowed Fassbender to play a slightly different type of android than David or Walter. These two characters had much more agency than most androids in the franchise, including Rook. As such, having Fassbender play Rook would have allowed him to perform as a synthetic committed to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, all while tying the actor back to his earlier roles due toAlien: Romulus' links toPrometheusandAlien: Covenant.Finally, Fassbender’s appearance would have removed the complex arguments surrounding Holm’s on-screen resurrection.
4Lance Henriksen
Appeared in Aliens & Alien 3
Another actor who could have portrayedIan Holm’s Rook inAlien: Romulusis Lance Henriksen. Henriksen was introduced to the franchise inAliensas Bishop, another synthetic who was tasked with aiding the US Colonial Marine Corps’ 2nd Battalion as they searched LV-426’s new colony for Xenomorphs. The character was initially distrusted by Ripley who had bad experiences with Ian Holm’s first android role, Ash, inAlien. Ripley discovered Bishop’s nature when his white blood was shown inAliens' iconic knife trick scene early in the movie.
Why Androids Have White Blood In The Alien Movies
The androids in the Alien movies have white blood instead of red to set them apart from the humans and connect to the franchise’s themes.
However, Bishop proved integral to helping Ripley defeat the Xenomorph Queen inAliens’ending, changing her perception of the android and leading to his more emotionally resonant role(s) inAlien 3.For many reasons, Henriksen would have been a better choice to portray Rook inAlien: Romulus. For one, the moral discussion of Holm’s CGI return would again be avoided as Henriksen is still alive and somewhat active in Hollywood as of 2024.
Secondly,Henriksen’s appearance would align with theAlientimeline as the Bishop models were introduced beforeAliens, the same period in whichAlien: Romulusis set. Thematically, it also would have been intriguing to see Henriksen play a more antagonistic android. Bishop was more benevolent and helpful inAliens, meaning the role of Rook would have allowed the actor to flex more villainous muscles as Rook serves asAlien: Romulus’secondary antagonist.
3Winona Ryder
Appeared in Alien: Resurrection
While admittedly not as perfect a choice as Fassbender or Henriksen,Alien: Romuluscould have brought back Winona Ryder as Rook. Ryder appeared inAlien: Resurrectionas the secret android known as Call, who was attempting to keep her nature hidden after the event known as “The Recall” saw synthetics become outlawed. Overall, Call was an intriguing character despite existing in one of the worst-receivedAlienmovies.
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Regarding replacing Ian Holm as Rook, Ryder’s Call is an interesting case study. The obvious benefit is that Ryder is still a prominent Hollywood actress and, story-wise,Alien: Romuluscould have given the Call synthetic somewhat of an origin story. That said,Alien: Resurrectionis set hundreds of years afterRomulus, meaning it would have been less sense in-universe for Ryder to play Rook. Simply from a moral standpoint though, Ryder may have been the better choice for Rook than Holm inAlien: Romulus.
2David Jonsson
Appeared in Alien: Romulus
David Jonsson was widely regarded to have thebest performance inAlien: Romulusas Andy, the synthetic adopted brother of Cailee Spaeny’s Rain. Jonsson played Andy with such sympathy that he was instantly the favorite character of many, making his turn into a more antagonistic force once Rook’s programming is embedded into him that much more effective. Given how closely Jonsson’s Andy is tied to RookinAlien: Romulus, it could be argued that he was the best choice to play Rook in the first place.
The intriguing moral dilemmas this could have raised about Andy, who discovers he was not supposed to be a benevolent helper but instead a cold servant of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation could have benefitted his character arc…
If Jonsson had played Rook and Andy, it would have allowed for a deeper exploration of the character. The intriguing moral dilemmas this could have raised about Andy, who discovers he was not supposed to be a benevolent helper but instead a cold servant of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation could have benefitted his character arc even more. It also would have removed the admittedly jarring scenes involving Rook from the film and allowed for greater audience immersion. Although the widerAlienEaster eggs inAlien: Romuluswould have been removed, Jonnson playing Rook would have worked better, both narratively and character-wise.
1A New Actor
While admittedly broad, simply hiring a new actor to theAlienfranchise to portrayAlien: Romulus' Rook would have been a better choice than bringing back Ian Holm posthumously. Although the connection toAlienwould be absent as a result, a new actor would have allowedAlien: Romulusto stand on its own as a film in the franchise rather than one too focused on tying back to the wider lore. Even if this was the case, the film’s ties toPrometheuswould have meantAlien: Romulusslotted into the franchise at large, albeit with its own identity.
Holm returning as Rook was simply too jarring to make the connection toAlienworth it, and another actor could have easily played that role.There are many actors working in Hollywood who excel at playing somewhat cold, detached characters, but who can turn on the villainous aspectswhen needed. Some examples include Ryan Gosling (Drive), Paul Dano (The Batman, Prisoners), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), and Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia, Suspiria).
This would have offered the opportunity for futureAlienmovies to bring this actor back by introducing a new line of synthetic androids…
Of course, the aforementioned actors are only a tiny sample size of actors who could have imbued Rook with the necessary synthetic qualities and antagonistic traits while making the role their own. This would have offered the opportunity for futureAlienmovies to bring this actor back by introducing a new line of synthetic androids. Nonetheless, Holm’s likeness was used for Rook inAlien: Romulus, regardless of whether there were better choices in the realm of Hollywood.
Alien: Romulus
Cast
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
