Harrison Ford Wanted for Blade Runner Sequel
The Blade Runner sequel has been running laps around Hollywood for awhile, but caught some considerable steam last year when Green Lantern screenwriter Michael Green was attached to rewrite the script. Since then, the front's been a little quiet... until this week when Alcon Entertainment made a formal, public extension to Harrison Ford to reprise his role as Deckard in the unnamed sequel. The partial press release reads:
“Warner Bros-based Alcon Entertainment (‘Prisoners,’ ‘The Blind Side,’ ‘The Book of Eli’) has an offer out to Harrison Ford to reprise his celebrated role of Rick Deckard in its Ridley Scott-directed sequel to Blade Runner.”
Would Ford even want to make a return as Deckard? Just yesterday, Star Wars Episode VII began shooting, in which Ford is reprising one of his iconic roles as Han Solo. Depending on the shooting schedule for Episode VII (and any other spin-offs/sequels that may arise soon after shooting wraps), Ford simply might not have enough time to return to the Blade Runner sequel. However, what that film does have on its side is, in fact, time, as the sequel is still in the very early stages of pre-production.
One thing's for sure: If Ford does return as Deckard, it allows director Ridley Scott to help clear his name after the divisive Prometheus and subpar The Counselor. Personally, all I care about is exploring whether or not Deckard was a Replicant himself. We'll have more on Deckard's potential return as more information comes in.
[via /Film]
Green Lantern Screenwriter Hired to Ruin Blade Runner Sequel
Philip K. Dick is one of the most storied science-fiction authors ever. A large number of sci-fi films, from Minority Report to A Scanner Darkly to The Adjustment Bureau were adapted from Philip K. Dick stories. The most famous and successful of the Dick adaptations, Blade Runner, has become a huge cult film transcending the typical sci-fi audience over the 30 years it's been out.
However, with Ridley Scott, who directed the original Blade Runner, set to go forward with a sequel, the film's legacy could risk becoming tarnished. Look at what happened with last year's Prometheus, which was a quasi-prequel/reboot of Alien, another Ridley Scott film: It raised more questions than it answered and added even more confusion to an already convoluted Alien mythology. What's more, the Blade Runner series of books that the upcoming sequel might be based off of weren't written by Dick, but a friend of his (with approval, of course), which lacked the charm and wit that only Dick possessed.
Adding more salt to the wound is the hiring of Michael Green, one of the many screenwriters credited for the abomination that was DC's Green Lantern film, to rewrite the film's script. Granted, with so many people hired to work on that script, it could be possible that Green didn't have much influence on the final product. Still, Green Lantern isn't exactly one of the best films to have on somebody's resume, especially when it comes to handling such a beloved film as Blade Runner.
Blade Runner 2: Son of Blade Runner is still years away, so there's the possibility that fortunes can be turned around and it could match the level of amazement its precursor did. I'd advise not to hold your breaths for that to happen, though.
[via /Film]