Ridley Scott has been keeping busy, and I couldn’t be happier about that fact. He’s responsible for some really great movies and now he’s fixing to bring us a few more. Scott made his name by being an original and changing the face of science fiction and horror. But now, in Hollywood’s current climate of recycling the same movies, Ridley Scott is returning to the old favorites to find new stories. I personally prefer to think of Scott’s prequels/sequels as a way to fit another piece into an awesome puzzle instead of the more cynical “Hollywood is out of ideas so we have to re-use the same old crap” way of looking at it. That opinion is subject to change on June 8th (the day Prometheus, the first prequel to Alien, premieres).
But now that Prometheus is almost in theaters, it is time to look to the future by looking at the past. Blade Runner wowed theater audiences 30 years ago – and even more so when the director’s cut was released. And now there is news of a new installment in what was originally conceived as a multiple film franchise. Why Ridley Scott waited so long for a sequel we will never know, but I’m just glad he’s making it now. The guy who wrote the first script writer, Hampton Fancher, is going to be crafting an “idea for the original screenplay” according to the press release (which can be found on /Film). The vague phrasing means that Fancher may not actually be writing the script, simply contributing story ideas.
The press release also states that the movie is definitely going to be a sequel and will occur “some years after the first film concluded.” At least this time he didn’t make us agonize over whether the film is a sequel/prequel/completely separate story like we did with Prometheus. We also got some info that instead of Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard running the show, Scott has talked (via The Daily Beast) about “featuring a female protagonist.” Since he’s done so much for girl power already (hello Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley and Noomi Rapace’s Elizabeth Shaw), it makes sense that he would give the ladies a shot to kill a few replicants. But where does that leave Harrison Ford? Apparently, it still might mean a few days of work for the amazing actor. When asked by The Independent if Ford would be apart of the movie Scott responded, “got to have him in it somewhere. That’d be amusing…”
However, Harrison Ford has made it public that Blade Runner is not one of his favorite roles for various reasons. One of the problems was that when the movie was in production back in 1982, he and Ridley Scott did not get along. Scott was a fairly new director and Ford was an established actor (having already played Han Solo and Indiana Jones). The two have since become friends, probably because they both hate the theatrical release of Blade Runner (along with a lot of other fans). I suppose the real question would be if Harrison Ford is as “amused” at the prospect of coming back. Considering what happened with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which is a terrible movie), I think he might be a little wary of reprising a beloved character. And while he won’t be starring in the Blade Runner sequel, it would still be fun to see him in that world again.
Now all that we can hope for is that Ridley Scott and Hampton Fancher still have the same magic. I have to wonder, as a proud owner of the special edition set, will Blade Runner even work as a sequel? The bleak and beautiful landscape, the intriguing questions about humanity, the creepy way Daryl Hannah looked – is that something that can be translated to another movie? If Scott can pull off a prequel of a prequel of Alien, I suppose anything is possible. I’m certainly keeping my fingers crossed that Ridley Scott won’t disappoint.
What do you guys think? Is Blade Runner 2 a good idea? Do you think Harrison Ford will come back or should he stay away?
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