Deadline is reporting that Ridley Scott will direct a follow-up to the sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner. The announcement comes via a press release from Alcon Entertainment, who recently acquired the rights.
Scott is currently working on Prometheus, reportedly set in the same universe as Alien and acting as an extended universe prequel to the events of that film. Perhaps Scott has a taste for the past at the moment.
This is, of course, not the first time Scott has returned to the film. The original 1982 film, starring Harrison Ford as a detective called Deckard assigned to hunt down and destroy superhuman androids known as Replicants, is largely considered to be one of the defining examples of the genre in the last half-century of filmmaking. It was later re-released in the preferred Director’s Cut, followed more recently by a Final Cut released theatrically and on Blu-ray.
Deadline put up this press release:
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Three-time Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott is set to helm a follow up to his own ground-breaking 1982 science fiction classic “Blade Runner” for Warner Bros-based financing and production company Alcon Entertainment (“The Blind Side,” “The Book of Eli”).
Alcon co-founders and co-Chief Executive Officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove will produce with Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, along with Ridley Scott. Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.
The filmmakers have not yet revealed whether the theatrical project will be a prequel or sequel to the renowned original.
Alcon and Yorkin recently announced that they are partnering to produce “Blade Runner” theatrical sequels and prequels, in addition to all television and interactive productions.
The original film, which has been singled out as the greatest science-fiction film of all time by a majority of genre publications, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the 2nd most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society.
State Kosove and Johnson: “It would be a gross understatement to say that we are elated Ridley Scott will shepherd this iconic story into a new, exciting direction. We are huge fans of Ridley’s and of the original ‘Blade Runner.’ This is once in a lifetime project for us.”
Scott is represented by David Wirtschafter at WME and David Nochinson at Ziffren Brittenham.
Released by Warner Bros. almost 30 years ago, “Blade Runner” was adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s groundbreaking novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and directed by Scott following his landmark “Alien.” The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction). Following the filming of “Blade Runner,” the first of Philip K. Dick’s works to be adapted into a film, many other of Dick’s works were likewise adapted, including “Total Recall,” “A Scanner Darkly,” “Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” and the recent “The Adjustment Bureau,” among others.
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Collider adds that the film will possibly begin shooting in 2013, but is unlikely to see original star Ford return to the role.
We are very pleased that Scott is back on board for any additional outings in this favourite film of ours, but we are undoubtedly expressing the same reservations that every other Interweb fanboy and fangirl has.
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
