BLADE RUNNER Update - How Ridley Scott got involved and Harrison Ford

Earlier we reported that Ridley Scott was set to direct a new Blade Runner film for Alcon Entertainment. The LA Times reports that producer Andrew Kosove worked hard to get Scott to helm the film. Kosove stated that they "had a few Plan Bs. But we were really focusing on Plan A, which was Ridley."was able to get Scott into the directors chair.

Here is a desciption of how the events occurred:

Here's how it went down. As Kosove and his partners were locking down rights to the movie about replicants in 2019 Los Angeles along with the Philip K. Dick novel on which it was based, they called an executive at Scott Free, Ridley and Tony Scott's production company. The Alcon people simply wanted to see if Ridley would sit down with them. 

The filmmaker agreed, and shortly after the rights deal closed in March, Kosove and his partner Broderick Johnson flew to London to meet with the director.

Over the course of one meeting, they hashed out how a new film would look, how it could avoid seeming too similar to the many movies that have since paid homage to the original, and how different the new film should be from the original itself. They eventually decided it should stand as separately as possible.

The meeting ended with Kosove and Scott shaking hands and agreeing to move forward. The next hurdle to overcome is for Scott to pick a writer to move forward on a script. Kosove talked a bit about the plan to move forward, saying:

"Everything Ridley does as a filmmaker is fresh. I believe he sees an opportunity to create something that’s wholly original from the first 'Blade Runner.' " 

The big question at hand is when audiences will be able to head to the multiplex to see the film. The soonest Kosove could see the movie beginning shooting is "early 2013 -- it would take at least 18 months to hire a writer, get a script in working order under Scott's guidance, cast the film and move into production." The films direction is still not known - "it could be either a sequel, a prequel, or even an inspired-by type of picture a la "Prometheus," which is related to but not closely affiliated with Scott's 1979 science-fiction hit "Alien."

Another unknown is whether Harrison Ford would be star in the new film. Here is what Kosove had to say about Ford's involvement:

"In no way do I speak for Ridley Scott. But if you're asking me will this movie have anything to do with Harrison Ford, the answer is no. This is a total reinvention, and in my mind that means doing everything fresh, including casting."

Kosove knew that without Scott, they would have an even harder time to win over the loyal fans of the original. Here is what he had to say about making the fans happy:

"When we made the first announcement there was a lot of skepticism, understandably. And now with Ridley coming back there's a greater level of comfort. And once we have the writer, I think fans will feel even more comfortable."

We want people to know that we're very serious about doing this in an artistic way. This isn't just commercial fodder."