Ridley Scott to Direct a New 'Blade Runner' Film

Whaaaaaaaaaat. We had previously heard that Blade Runner followups were on their way in the distant future, but this news changes everything. We haven't been told if the film will be a sequel or prequel, but just the fact that Ridley Scott is directing is simply massive. 

Last March, Alcon Entertainment aquired the rights to the franchise, but it was sort of assumed that Scott would want no part in it. Scott has yet to officially comment on the announcement, but it's very official, and I'm officially excited. 

Alcon's Andrew Kosove doesn't want you to expect the film before 2014, as big decisions still need to be made concerning the script, crew, cast, etc. Kosove also stated that we probably shouldn't expect Harrison Ford to return, which is understandable. 

According to an interview with the LA Times, Kosove also stated that he and fellow Alcon producer Broderick Johnson have met with Ridley, where "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."

That's really all we know for now, but that's certainly enough to get me intrigued. How about you, are you ready for another Blade Runner?

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.