Ridley Scott And Sigourney Weaver Are Praising The Students Behind The Viral ‘Alien’ Play

People on the internet weren’t the only ones who were seriously impressed by that viral student theater production of the classic horror film Alien. The movie’s director, Ridley Scott, was so taken by it that he wrote a letter to the students and their instructors praising their “creativity” and “imagination.” So too did star Sigourney Weaver and screenwriter Walter Hill, along with Aliens director James Cameron.

In a letter obtained by Deadline, Scott wrote, “My hat comes off to all of you for your creativity, imagination, and determination to produce such an ambitious show”:

Limitations often produce the best results because imagination and determination can surpass any shortfalls and determine the way forward — always.

Self-sufficiency is what this country was largely based upon with its immigrant population coming in to a New World and working together.

This is maybe the biggest lesson for all of you, and your future plans — stay with this determination, and this spirit in everything you do, and you will succeed — let nothing put you off — or set you back.

He thanked them for doing Alien specifically, then offered them money from his production company, Scott Free, “to fund an encore performance.” The director then joked that, if they were looking to stage another play adaptation of one of his films, why not try Gladiator?

In a separate video posted to Twitter, Weaver addressed the students with her own adorations. “I just wanted to say it looked incredible,” she said. “You put so much work heart and soul into that, and the alien looked very real to me.” She also shared further compliments from Alien‘s writer, Walter Hill, and the director of the film’s sequel, James Cameron.

(Via Deadline)