Jennifer Garner Is Ready To Reboot Alias
Jennifer Garner is ready to get back into the Alias universe..
This article is more than 2 years old
She’s ready, willing, and even at 48-years-old, able. Jennifer Garner told The Hollywood Reporter, “Sign me up,” in reference to the ongoing talk of a possible Alias reboot. While the series wasn’t Garner’s first foray into television, it was most definitely her defining moment. Not only is Garner willing to jump back into Sydney Bristow’s shoes, but she also then told The Hollywood Reporter, “[I’ll] grab Bradley [Cooper — her former Alias co-star] by the scruff of his neck.” Presumably, if Alias were to happen, Cooper would come along. At least Garner would insist.
Jennifer Garner played Sydney Bristow for five seasons on the J.J. Abrams created Alias. Bristow led a triple life – an academic, a CIA operative, and a double agent for a fictitious organization called SD-6, which turned out to be a branch of the Alliance of Twelve, an organized crime group that specialized in trading intelligence and weapons. For Cooper’s part, he played Will Tippin, a local newspaper reporter who begins by investigating Sydney’s fiancé’s death and eventually ends up being a CIA analyst. Cooper carried a main role the first two seasons, he then recurred in season three and was completely absent in season four. He would return to the series in the fifth and final season in a recurring role.
The trick for Garner’s Bristow was balancing her personal life with her professional. Keeping her friends and family from knowing exactly who she was took a lot of work and skill, but Sydney was always up for the task. Ron Rifkin played Arvin Sloane, the series’ main antagonist who was always at odds with not only Sydney but her family as well. Michael Vartan played Michael Vaughn, Sydney’s handler and her eventual love interest.
Jennifer Garner was nominated for four Emmys during her stint as Sydney Bristow. She also won a Golden Globe for her performance, making her one of the most sought-after actresses at the time. Peter Berg, the actor-director-Garner pal, said this via The Hollywood Reporter about the popular star, “Let’s not forget, Jennifer was a massive sex symbol on Alias.” Berg met Garner when he guest-starred on the ABC series. “Every guy wanted to be with her, and every woman wanted to be her. She was sweet, lovable, charming, and if you crossed her, she could kill you.” That is some high praise. So high that Berg hired her for the feature The Kingdom, which co-starred Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman, telling the story of U.S. government agents who are sent to the Middle East to investigate the bombing of an American facility.
It wasn’t only her time on Alias that made Jennifer Garner a household name. During her run on the show, the actress met, fell in love, married, and had children with Ben Affleck. It was something that she was warned about but something that she just couldn’t grasp. “You’d go through a yellow light and 15, 20 cars would go through the red light behind you, driving up on the side of roads, and this is just for a mom and a kid,” she explained to THR about the early days of life with Ben and a newborn. “We lived down a street that was chock-a-block full of actors, much more successful and famous and decorated than me, including Ben, and they’d all go by one by one, no problem, and then I’d go do a school run and it’d be 15 cars going with me. I never had a day without them, and if I did, if I made it to a park by hiding in the bottom of the pool man’s truck or something, then a nanny would see me there and call a number and they’d swarm.” She never understood the fascination. But she did learn how to manage it. Unfortunately, Affleck couldn’t outrun his demons and the pair eventually divorced in 2018.
As for her possible return to Alias, the actress is ready if it were to happen. Rumors started swirling in 2018 but back then Jennifer Garner wasn’t sure if it was truly happening. “I’ve heard that there’s an Alias reboot happening, but no one’s talked to me about it,” she said in 2018 via Fox News. “I mean, it would be totally different. But if they didn’t have me on as a guest, I would be very, very angry.” True, much about the world has changed in the 17 years since Alias went off the air, including her age, so “totally different” is probably very accurate.
But putting together a project like an Alias reboot, now, could be quite a costly endeavor. J.J Abrams doesn’t come cheap, nor would Bradley Cooper’s involvement, if that were to happen. Cooper has turned himself into an A-listing 8-time Academy Award nominee actor and now director, so the cost to bring him in may also be too much for a reboot. Never say never, though.
Jennifer Garner can now be seen in the Netflix family comedy Yes Day and then will be seen in another Netflix film called The Adam Project which will see her co-star alongside Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, and Catherine Keener. If an Alias reboot becomes a reality, we’ll be here to tell you all about it.
