Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film[9] written and directed by James Cameron, produced by Gale Anne Hurd and starring Sigourney Weaver. It is the second installment of the Alien franchise. The film follows Weaver's character Ellen Ripley as she returns to the moon where her crew encountered the hostile Alien creature, this time accompanied by a unit of space marines. Additional roles are played by Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, William Hope, Al Matthews, and Bill Paxton.