Source: LA Times
by Alex Billington
Earlier today, a fanboy bombshell hit the web when it was revealed that Ridley Scott would be returning, confirmed, to direct a new Blade Runner movie following his work on the sci-fi Prometheus. That original report was, unfortunately, rather vague regarding whether it would even be a prequel or sequel, but we now have some info on where this new movie is headed. 24 Frames on the LA Times posted a story including quotes from Alcon Entertainment producer Andrew Kosove, the company/man responsible for the Blade Runner rights and hooking Ridley Scott, explaining how it all went down and little hints at what it will be.
So what happened? Well, Kosove and his partners somehow convinced Ridley Scott to, at first, simply sit down with them to talk about Blade Runner franchise, since they had obtained the rights. There's where things get good. Ridley pretty much hashed out an idea with them in one meeting. Here's how they explain:
Over the course of one meeting, they hashed out how a new film would look, how it could avoid seeming too similar to the many movies that have since paid homage to the original, and how different the new film should be from the original itself. They eventually decided it should stand as separately as possible.
"Everything Ridley does as a filmmaker is fresh," Kosove said. "I believe he sees an opportunity to create something that's wholly original from the first 'Blade Runner.' "
Scott, Kosove and Johnson left that meeting with a handshake deal, and then the lawyers and agents jumped in to work out the details.
Sounds interesting and very similar to the way Prometheus developed quickly when good ideas (via writers Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof) come into play. As I mentioned originally, I expected this to be something completely new and different, and that Harrison Ford likely would not be back. Again, comparing this to the "Alien prequel" that Prometheus supposedly is, they're rebooting that with a fresh new cast - and it looks great. Expect the same here with Blade Runner. Kosove confirms: "In no way do I speak for Ridley Scott, but if you're asking me will this movie have anything to do with Harrison Ford, the answer is no. This is a total reinvention, and in my mind that means doing everything fresh, including casting." So there you go.
But what can we expect? Or more importantly, when? That's the question they ask next, and Kosove says not to expect it until at least 2014 at the earliest. "The soonest Kosove could see the movie beginning shooting is early 2013 -- it would take at least 18 months to hire a writer, get a script in working order under Scott's guidance, cast the film and move into production." This is great, because it goes in line with what Ridley did years ago in his younger years. He made Alien in 1979, then Blade Runner three years later in 1982. Now he's making Prometheus in 2012, then this new Blade Runner whatever-movie two/three years later in 2014/5. Looks like he's trying to get back to his roots, even chronologically, and I am totally fine with that.
"When we made the first announcement there was a lot of skepticism, understandably. And now with Ridley coming back there's a greater level of comfort," Kosove said. "And once we have the writer, I think fans will feel even more comfortable."
He added, "We want people to know that we're very serious about doing this in an artistic way. This isn't just commercial fodder."
That sounds like a strong emphasis to fans that this is in good hands, not only with Ridley Scott, but these guys as producers, too. I've seen a lot of the Blade Runner complainers come out of the woodwork today, but I still think this Blade Runner prequel/sequel/reboot has the potential to be awesome and exciting in its own way, so don't shrug this off just because you thought the first one was "boring." If you had seen the same footage we saw at Comic-Con from Prometheus, you'd be as excited about Ridley Scott's return to sci-fi as I am. I think he's finally found the perfect genre for him to return to, at least for now, and I'm excited to actually see what this new Blade Runner movie is all about.
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