Producer/directory Ridley Scott says Ryan Gosling will take the torch from Harrison Ford in the new Blade Runner sequel, which may not be the end of the franchise as many assumed, according to an interview with Yahoo Movies.
Scott, who recently revealed that he plans to make as many as four more Prometheus films to connect full circle to his Alien franchise, told Yahoo Movies he isn’t opposed to doing the same with Blade Runner. Despite initially mediocre reviews, the 1982 film has become a cult classic over the past 30-odd years, and is now considered by many to be one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time.
The original film centered around Ford’s character, Rick Deckard, and his quest to kill genetically engineered replicants, who look indistinguishable from humans but are banned on earth. The first Blade Runner was set in 2019.
Unlike the original, Scott will not direct the new project, instead bowing to Sicario director Denis Villeneuve, and sitting back as a writer/producer.
Asked about creating a more continuous franchise out of the film, the director said, “Listen: Everyone else is, so why not? I love to work.”
He went on to say that Gosling will likely helm the project in the lead role for whatever films follow Blade Runner 2, and that the universe will have aged in real time.
The 34 year old actor has been rumored to be on board the project for a while, but it took a bit of doing to get the film’s original star, Harrison Ford, back in the mix. That makes sense — as far as reboots of classics go, nobody knows the ups and downs more than Ford does.
The actor previously reprised his role as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which has been scorned by many as a poorly crafted addition to the beloved franchise. That said, Ford will also return to play Han Solo in the JJ Abrams helmed Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and though he might be more discerning about being re-cast now, he’s obviously not averse to reprising signature roles.
In this case, all it took to sway Ford was a good script. The original pair behind Blade Runner, Scott and writer Hampton Fancher, spent a few years drawing up the new script. And it’s a good one, he claims.
“Harrison said, ‘Meh,’ and I said, ‘No, read this.’ And I think he said, ‘This is the best script I’ve ever had.’”
Even if it’s just a bit of hearsay, the possibility of that kind of endorsement from Ford, a pedigreed actor of numerous popular franchises, should give fans of the original film a lot to look forward to. One thing Scott didn’t reveal was a possible release date but, given that filming has yet to begin, moviegoers aren’t likely to see their long-awaited sequel until at least 2017.
