Legendary mega-director James Cameron lit science fiction on fire when he took up directorial duties for the second film in the Alien franchise. Rather than radically change the existing formula, Cameron built upon the universe that iconic director Ridley Scott created with the original film while taking it in a much different, yet fully compatible creative direction. The result was a hit that paid homage to the original, and a master class on how to make a movie sequel.
What if Cameron had passed on the idea, or 2oth Century Fox decided not to take a chance on him? It's very likely Aliens would never been made, or at least postponed. If the film were made today, what actors would best fill the shoes of the amazing cast audiences already know and love? Time to stop the grinnin', drop the linen and get to work.
Drake (Joel Kinnaman)
Original Aliens actor Mark Rolston is a tough act to follow. He played the O.G. Drake, a hyper-aggressive tough guy with a bad attitude who somehow managed to play well within a team. Joel Kinnaman has a similar disposition, as evidenced by his performance in season 1 of Netflix's cyberpunk thriller series Altered Carbon.
Kinnaman would need to play Drake according to his own personality, instead of taking Rolston's approach. He's proven he can play cold jerk-like characters with a strong sense of duty, plus he has a similar physical stature. Seeing him rock out beside Vasquez (more on her below) would be quite the treat.
Apone (Wesley Snipes)
Original actor Al Matthews bore the distinction of being the only thespian on set to have gone through the actual Vietnam war. As such, he not only served as the commanding officer for the characters, but the actors who played them. That's hard to top, and very few actors have that kind of background, especially given how much time has passed since the Vietnam war.
It would come down to screen presence, where Wesley Snipes could have a shot at filling the character's shoes. Snipes would need to rely primarily on his energy and aggressive delivery to pull off the idea that he was a seasoned military man, but his background as an action star would probably be enough to make a convincing performance.
Vasquez (Michelle Rodriguez)
There really is no other choice for the role of a modern Vasquez than Michelle Rodriguez. This is the type of role she's best known for, and it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to think that she was influenced by Jenette Goldstein's stellar performance as Vasquez in the original 1986 film. Rodriguez knows how to play a military tough girl, inside and out.
She's also the best suited for the role due to her physicality and striking resemblance to Goldstein. It would be weird seeing Rodriguez with a short haircut, but audiences wouldn't care. She'd only need to know one thing - where the xenomorphs are.
Gorman (Timothy Olyphant)
The character of Gorman was played by William Hope, an excellent actor who managed to bring an insecure dynamic to a military lieutenant in charge of a very important mission. Timothy Olyphant has a similar kind of expressive personality that would allow those same cracks to surface in his portrayal of the character.
Olyphant can appear both authoritative and agitated depending on the situation, as proven by his recent appearance in The Mandalorian. Yet, he's also able to project a sense of goodness and integrity that would serve the final act of Aliens. In that scene, Gorman musters his courage to rescue Vasquez during the climactic escape, only to die along with her.
Hudson (Chris Pratt)
It's nearly impossible to follow in the footsteps of Bill Paxton, especially when it comes to the character of Hudson. He's easily one of the most memorable characters in the entire film, thanks to his loudmouthed personality, raging paranoia and a go-for-broke death scene that defies fate itself.
Chris Pratt has already shown that he has the energy, the volume, and the strength of character to play someone like Hudson, making him the most obvious fit for the role. It's doubtful he could duplicate Paxton's performance, which means he'd need to put his own personal spin on it.
Bishop (William Fichtner)
Lance Henriksen brought the android character Bishop to life in a way that paid homage to Ian Holm's iconic portrayal of Ash in the original Alien film. Part of that success was his ability to give off a creepy vibe, while simultaneously appearing as if he had no ulterior motives or bad intentions.
William Fichtner is known for playing characters that are either expressive, or very withdrawn. In this instance, he'd portray quite a remarkable Bishop by simply playing it cool throughout the entire film. When it was time to finally show that he was one of the good guys, Fichtner's natural good nature would easily shine through.
Burke (Cillian Murphy)
Cillian Murphy is a versatile actor who can switch between good guy and bad guy and make them both stick. This quality would be necessary to take on the role of Carter Burke, previously played by comedic funnyman Paul Reiser. Although he played the part very well, Murphy might have done a better job of it.
The key would be for Murphy to play upon his somewhat skewed charm in the first act, before coming apart at the seams with a greedy disposition in the second half of the film. This would make for a similar, yet different performance from the one Reiser gave, who never seemed to understand the immoral implications of his actions.
Hicks (Stephen Amell)
Arrow leading man Stephen Amell knows how to play the understated tough guy. He did it for eight seasons on the CW show before finally hanging up the bow. In many respects, Amell and original actor Michael Biehn are quite alike, not just in physical stature, but personality as well.
Amell could easily pull off Hicks' no-nonsense approach and tendency to keep a close eye on everyone around him. He'd definitely be the most understated member of the bunch, and that's important to sell him as the voice of reason within a combat group best known for flaunting their own egos.
Newt (Mia Talerico)
Casting the role of Newt was an interesting process, as Cameron opted for a child with no previous experience in the movie business. As both he and producer Gale Anne Hurd figured out quickly, prospective child actors auditioning for the role typically had experience in TV commercials, where they failed to show acting range.
Unknown child actress Carrie Henn was given the part of Newt because of her ability to play a believable child. This kind of practice is relatively unheard of today, which means an actress like Mia Talerico might be the best fallback. As a Disney alum, Talerico knows how to act, but she's also a down to earth girl at the same time. She certainly looks the part based on her resemblance to Carrie Henn.
Ripley (Krysten Ritter)
It's very hard to cast a replacement for the iconic Sigourney Weaver. She played one of the original sci-fi female badasses - a character pushed to the brink and forced to face her own fears for the sake of her survival, and those she cared about. Finding a replacement isn't possible, which means an alternative would be necessary.
Krysten Ritter has shown that she's capable of playing tough girls with a traumatized and vulnerable side, and that would serve her well if she filled Ripley's shoes. Ritter's tormented expressions would give non-vocal exposition regarding her ordeal with the original xenomorph, and seeing her return to LV-426 to face her fears would feel different, yet totally in line with the Ripley character.