She was the final surviving human in Prometheus, but in a surprise turn of events, director Ridley Scott has revealed that we will not now be picking up the story of Elizabeth Shaw, as played by Noomi Rapace, in Alien: Covenant after all.

We already knew that Katherine Waterston had been cast as the film's female lead, but last we heard, Rapace was still set to return, albeit in a reduced capacity. Now, however, Scott's response to a question about whether she'll be back is a flat "no", followed by, "we're still casting".

There are no further details, so it's possible that deals are still on the table. It may, on the other hand, be a case of clashing schedules, with Alien: Covenant set to go shortly and Rapace currently in pre-production for the title role in the Amy Winehouse biopic. It may even be that, rather than make a minor appearance in Covenant, the plucky Doctor Shaw is being kept back for a larger part in future Aliens. Scott, after all, is planning two more...

Source: Press Release