It was announced last week that Ridley Scott has signed to develop and direct a new film set in the Blade Runner universe. It is unclear whether this new film will be a prequel, sequel, or something with only a thematic connection to the original (like Prometheus, his new Alien prequel). Deadline broke the story last Thursday morning and the deal was official that afternoon. Alcon Entertainment bought the rights back in March and has been working to get Scott involved since then. The deal would allow them to produce films or television shows based on Scott’s 1982 film, but would exclude an outright remake. Obviously, they didn’t pay for those rights to let them sit – a film was going to be made with or without Ridley Scott in the director’s chair.
The fact that they went back to Scott with the project is not very surprising. He was the creative force behind the original film and has publicly expressed interest in doing another Blade Runner [many times] in the past. He also returned to the original film twice – in an attempt to completely satisfy his “original” vision – which culminated in 2007 with the release of his Final Cut for the film’s 25th Anniversary. That marked the end of a very long creative journey for him, but must have re-ignited his passion for it because in 2009, Scott announced the development of a new web-series called Purefold, based on the ideas and themes of Blade Runner.
Unfortunately, that project proved to be too ambitious and stalled due to a lack of funding, but it’s clear that the idea of returning to this world is not a new one for Ridley Scott. He doesn’t need the money and there’s no shortage of alternate projects for him to direct, but as he continues to work, the nagging urge to return to the world of replicants is there – an itch that needs to be scratched.
Now is the chance he’s been waiting for. Realistically, at 72 years old, he probably only has a few more movies in him. As he gets older he may have some (more) interesting things to say about mortality. Like the character of Roy Batty, he wants more time to accomplish the things he wants.
Since the news was announced, the Internet has been abuzz with cries of disapproval from fans who don’t want to see the original film tarnished by a sub par sequel. I can certainly understand that sentiment, but the real question is this: Do you feel better about a follow-up to Blade Runner with Ridley Scott, or do you think it’s a mistake to let Ridley play in this sandbox once again?
For me, the more I think about it the more I don’t want anyone else to touch it except Ridley Scott. For better or worse...let him have a shot at it.
