Ridley Scott set to Direct new BLADE RUNNER Film!
It looks like director Ridley Scott is excited about revisiting some of his earlier sci-fi work. He's currently directing Prometheus, which is in a way connected to his original Alien film, and working on that new film must have sparked a fire within him to take on another one of his earlier sci-fi film projects. He officially signed on to direct and produce a new installment of Blade Runner! How freakin' awesome is that shit!?
I honestly never thought we would ever see another Blade Runner movie, I knew we would see other films that pay homage to the classic sci-fi film, but never thought Scott would be the one to jump in and take it upon himself to make a flat out movie set in that same universe. Of course I never thought I'd see him get involved with a new Alien film either, but here he is. It's so cool to see Scott getting back in the sci-fi game, he must have forgotten how freakin' cool it was to work on these kinds of films until he started on Prometheus, which I can't wait to see.
There's no word on if the new Blade Runner film will be a sequel or prequel to the original 1982 film, which was loosely based on the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The other thing that isn't certain is if Harrison Ford will be back to reprise his role as Richard Deckard. All of our questions will be answered in time, but as of right now I can just be excited that Scott is actually going to make another Blade Runner movie.
Blade Runner is one of my favorite sci-fi films, and I can't wait to see what this new film turns out to be. There's a possibility is could evolve into something else just like the Alien prequel did.
What do you all think about Scott taking on a new Blade Runner film?
Here's the official press release:
LOS ANGELES, CA, AUGUST 18, 2011—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.