Often hailed as not only director Ridley Scott’s seminal film, but one of the greatest films of all time, Blade Runner; the tale of a future detective searching for rogue replicant robots in a dystopian future-noir world; has been in the press lately as rumours of a potential, prequel, sequel, or even reboot, have begun to once again gather steam, and now look to have been kicked into overdrive; with the announcement that Ridely Scott himself may once again be involved.
It’s difficult to know just exactly what shape or form the new entry into the franchise will take; as while Scott has reportedly signed on to both direct and produce a new Blade Runner feature for Alcon Entertainment (who acquired the rights earlier this year), no official statement has been made as to whether the new film will be a sequel or prequel to the classic film that was based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and starred both Harrison Ford (Cowboys & Aliens), and Rutger Hauer (The Hitcher).
We also don’t know at this point whether or not Scott will go for a completely new cast, or attempt to reconnect with Ford for the follow-up film, and although the idea of the pair working together on a new Blade Runner movie is certainly an exciting prospect, it’s worth remembering that the first film was far from a blockbuster hit when it was first released (generating only $32 million during its initial run), and should a new film attempt to replicate the successes of the former; by recreating the themes of morality, dual identity, and the ambiguous nature of the central character’s true identity; it’s fairly likely to head down the same path.
So while little is known as of yet, it’s still an intriguing nugget of news, and one that could potentially grow into another huge sci-fi classic, just as Ridley’s current project Prometheus (which itself revisits another of his classic sci-fi movies; Alien) has the potential to do, when it’s released in 3D on June 1st 2012 in the UK, and on June 8th 2012 in the US.
Matt Wheeldon.
Source: Deadline.
