'Blade Runner' Follow-Up Officially A Sequel, Original Writer Hampton Fancher Developing Story With Ridley Scott

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by Oliver Lyttelton
May 17, 2012 7:29 PM
11 Comments

We pretty much covered this in the last couple of days, but it's possible we buried the lead a little, plus a press release is out, so it's now official: with "Prometheus" nearly upon us, Ridley Scott has started to seriously work towards his other sci-fi follow up, the continuation of "Blade Runner" that was originally announced last summer. A couple of details have been confirmed via a press release from Alcon Entertainment, among them that Scott is going right back to the well when it comes to nailing down the story for his new replicant-themed picture.

Namely, Hampton Fancher, who wrote the original draft of "Blade Runner," has been hired to develop the story for the project. This has been in the works for a while; yesterday we reported that Scott had met with the screenwriter (who was also behind underrated Owen Wilson film "The Minus Man"), and said he still "talked the talk," and now his expertise has officially been enlisted on the film, although the release is careful to say that he's not writing the screenplay: it seems like he'll knock out ideas with Scott, before another writer does the nuts and bolts of the project.

Also re-confirmed: the film will be a sequel, rather than a prequel, or a "Prometheus"-style side story, to the original film, taking place 'some years' after the sneaking-up-ever-closer 2019 setting of the original. That doesn't mean that you should count on an appearance from Deckard (Harrison Ford) -- as we reported earlier, Scott says that the new film will have a female protagonist. Anyway, we're excited to see the film moving forward, and dearly hope that Fancher and the director come up with some ideas that honor the original, while doing something new with the material.

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More: Blade Runner, Ridley Scott, Hampton Fancher

11 Comments

| Reply
Blade Runner's idea comes from Philip K. Dick | May 21, 2012 10:01 AMReply

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep%3F
Any article mentioning Hampton Fancher should also mention it | May 21, 2012 7:37 PM

.
jb | May 21, 2012 2:49 PM

everyone knows this.
randy | May 20, 2012 2:19 AMReply

theres not a person out there under 25 thats even heard of bladerunner lol
rodie | May 18, 2012 1:18 PMReply

I'm betting Charlize Theron stars in this BTW.
rodie | May 18, 2012 1:17 PMReply

Deckard's presence needs to be felt somewhere, in a photo, or video screen or a mention of some kind. I realize his story was wrapped up in the original, but still...
Ted | May 18, 2012 11:58 AMReply

I guess Scott realized his only good films were Alien and Blade Runner ...
Alan | May 18, 2012 5:43 AMReply

This is bull.

Don't these producers know in order to do a long-delayed sequel/reboot/re-imagining you need to kick the original filmmakers out to the curb, hire a couple of TV writers from a crap sci-fi show and get a music video director to helm? What do people like Scott and Fancher know about the 'Blade Runner' series, anyway?

Next you tell me that the producers will refuse to cast some vacuous poser like Sam Worthington in the lead. These people make me sick.
Travis Hopson | May 17, 2012 10:07 PMReply

Wasn't Scott Z. Burns rumored to be up for writing the script? That would be awesome.
Jesse | May 17, 2012 8:06 PMReply

But the real question is, will Vangellis be brought back? That'd make me moist.
KT | May 17, 2012 8:31 PM

This or GTFO.