[Phantomcrow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShabbyBlue

Why are some here talking like we'll never get a Ripley figure in this line? Is there a rights issue I'm unaware of? Mattel just released a figure of Sigourney Weaver's "Dana Barrett" in their Ghostbusters line this past summer, so obviously she's willing to let toy companies use her likeness for action figures. Or does Mattel hold exclusive rights to that likeness, regardless of which Weaver character it is? I'd really love to see NECA do a Ripley with power loader now that they are going forward with human characters from the Aliens movies. In fact, I want the whole squadron of marines along with Bishop, Burke, Newt, and Ripley. It would be a shame to get just Hicks and Hudson and nobody else. That's as bad as when Macfarlane ONLY made Hicks a few years back. It got my hopes up for more Colonial Marines, and they never followed through on that.

Mattel cheated their way around it. The figure they made was Zuul, not Dana Barrett, they had the rights to the Zuul character, and was one of the poorest likenesses in the line. They did the same for Rick Moranis by the figure being Vince Clortho not Louis Tully. There are a lot of ways around likeness rights. The NECA Die Hard figure is a good example. The could make John McClain but not use Bruce's likeness, but could use it for the Sin City figure because it was part of the movie contract to make the figures. It is common to get likeness rights for newer movies because it is just written into the contracts, but older movies it was never an issue so companies have to get movie rights and each actor rights as well to make toys now for older films. Weaver's last figure to have likeness rights was the Alien Resurrection Ripley figure. I REALLY hope she gives the ok, but we will have to wait and see. Some actor/actresses can be a pain about likeness rights. Lucy Liu was never pleased with her Kill Bill figure and the figure was scrapped and removed from the line before the figures came out (even after showing the finished figure at shows) and she was to be a companion to the Bride figure of Uma in the Yellow jumpsuit.