Ridley Scott to Direct a New Prequel/Sequel to BLADE RUNNER

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From Deadline.com

EXCLUSIVE: After revisiting his classic Alien with the upcoming 3D Fox film Prometheus, Ridley Scott is committing to direct and produce a film that advances his other seminal and groundbreaking science fiction film. Scott has signed on to direct and produce a new installment of Blade Runner. He’ll make the film with Alcon Entertainment, producing with Alcon partners Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. This would be the most high profile project for Alcon since The Blind Side.

I’m not getting a clear sense at this point whether Scott intends to do a sequel or a prequel to the 1982 film that was loosely based on the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Also unclear is whether they start fresh or reach out to Harrison Ford, who starred that took place in dystopian Los Angeles in 2019, in which organic superhuman robots called replicants escaped and are hiding somewhere on earth. Ford played Richard Deckard, a burnt out blade runner assigned to hunt them down. His tired life gets altered when he himself falls for one of the replicants and struggles to keep her from being destroyed.

The film was not a blockbuster when first released--it grossed $32 million in its original run--but the film has gained esteem over time. From the bleak but breathtaking visuals to the complex storyline and themes of mortality, Blade Runner became a classic. There has periodically been talks of doing a sequel but those never really went anywhere. After injecting state of the art 3D in reviving Alien, imagine what Scott can do with Blade Runner? Now, the filmmaker is ready to engage. Alcon has its output deal with Warner Bros, which remastered and released a 25th anniversary version on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2007. Warner Bros made the original film.

This is just the first step and the project will have to be written and it will likely evolve during that process. That's what happened on Alien, which began as a prequel to his 1979 classic. That changed when Lost's Damon Lindelof came in with a different take on the subject matter that imprinted on Scott and Fox executives. They wound up making Prometheus, which Fox considers an original but which I've heard is a cousin to the original Alien franchise. That film will be released June 8, 2012, with Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Patrick Wilson, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce starring. Scott is repped by WME.
Not sure what to make of this. I hope Harrison Ford isn't involved, his grey hair and wrinkles would kill the Deckard-is-a-replicant theory. And also, I'm not too keen on it possibly being in 3D.


What does everyone else think of this news?
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I agree that they should leave Harrison Ford out completely. As long as it's not a remake but a sequel or prequel then I think that could be really good. And they should not ask George Lucas for any advice on prequels.



Can't wait! Harrison Ford should be left out though, and I doubt he would be interested anyways. I've heard that he clashed with Ridley Scott quite a lot on the set.
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I think some things are best left alone.

Ridly Scott has made some bad films recently too.

If I see him at the petrol station I'm going to ask for a refund for Robin Hood.



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From Killerfilm.com
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.
what does "selected for preservation" mean?



I believe it just means they preserve a copy to ensure that it isn't lost. I imagine this is much less of a problem now than it used to be, though, so it's increasingly an honorary thing. But I guess the idea is that it's supposed to be important enough to our culture that they need to make its preservation official, rather than just rely on private citizens and studios to preserve it.

But, yeah, I don't know if there's much tangible benefit now, given the proliferation of digital copies.



Anyone thinking someone's told Scott his latest films haven't been so great and he's reverting to cashing-in on past successes? Not to seem cynical if it is an artistic move but considering current studio logic, it's hard to argue.

That said, the bit: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die." That's what I see/hope a follow up will take inspiration from, possibly in a similar tact to The Thing- ending with/leading into Leon being interrogated after arriving on Earth.
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New Blade Runner already has a writer?

Sep 24, 2011



The news that Ridely Scott would be making a follow-up to Blade Runner was met with mixed reactions from fans. Some thought it would be a great idea, but others thought the original stood on its own well enough. But like it or not, the film is happening, and it looks to be sooner than expected. Sources are telling Twitch that Ridley Scott has already picked his top choice to pen the film in Scott Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum, Contagion), and that WB has begun negotiations with the screenwriter. At this point, we don’t know what to expect from the film, or where it will go. But fans remain optimistic about the film with Scott on board to direct.
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Who knows at least Ridley Scott is going to be directing.

Ridley Scott confirmed for Blade Runner sequel

Nov 5, 2011





Fans of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner are suspicious about a follow-up to that film soo many years after the original. But one thing that has gotten fans excited is Ridley Scott mentioned not long ago that he would be directing the film, and he has now confirmed that involvement to Speakeasy. He also mentions that we likely won’t have to wait too much longer for the film to happen. “I think I’m close to finding a writer that might be able to help me deliver. We’re quite a long way in, actually,” he said.
However, we shouldn’t expect to see Harrison Ford or any of the previous cast members as the film is moving ahead “not with the past cast, of course.”
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Well, for a variety of reasons Scott has been altering the original movie since it was first released, mainly for the better, including re-shooting entire scenes with Joanna Cassidy I believe. It was the last great analogue Fx sci fi movie & it still looks great. I'm not too sure about a sequel, but a prequel may work. Just as long as it doesn't get a 'alternate timeline' reboot like the Star Trek franchise, I reckon it might just work.