When the massive news hit this morning of Ridley Scott returning to the Blade Runner universe to helm a prequel/sequel/update/reboot/something, the internet exploded with equal parts negativity and excitement. I fared the latter side, as I think this is a huge world that could be greatly explored with new technology and ideas thirty years down the road. We didn’t know many details, but now LA Times helps us now paint a broader picture.
They spoke with Alcon Entertainment producer Andrew Kosove who talked about the process of wrangling Ridley Scott and much more. He explained “they had a few Plan Bs. But we were really focusing on Plan A, which was Ridley.” After sitting down with the filmmaker they came up with the look of the film and decided it will be “wholly original,” standing “as separately as possible” from the 1982 sci-fi classic.
They are also gearing up on a production timeline which sees a writer being hired in “in a matter of months if not weeks.” I wonder if Prometheus writer Damon Lindelof is around? At the earliest, they eye an early 2013 production start, which would make for a summer 2014 release I would assume. They also posit Scott could jump to another one of his many other projects in the meantime while this update goes under development.
Don’t expect Rick Deckard to show up on set either, as Kosove exclaimed he doesn’t speak for Mr. Scott, but he doesn’t think Harrison Ford will be involved in this film in anyway. He stated, “This is a total reinvention, and in my mind that means doing everything fresh, including casting.”
This is sounding more and more like Prometheus, which includes “DNA from Alien,” but nothing related directly to that story, as well as bringing in a whole new set of characters. From what we’ve heard regarding that film, Kosove seems to feel familiarly, saying “we want people to know that we’re very serious about doing this in an artistic way. This isn’t just commercial fodder.” It sounds like Alcon has their head on straight and I look forward to more news about what sure is to be one of the biggest blockbusters of 2014 (hopefully).
Prometheus hits theaters June 8th, 2012 with Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Patrick Wilson, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce. Stayed tuned for any and all Blade Runner (update) updates.
What do you think about these new details? What would you like to see in a new Blade Runner?