Whether you’re still coming to terms that Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott are actively pursuing Blade Runner 2, or you’re harboring an inkling of hope for the long-rumored sci-fi sequel, one thing’s for certain: Sicario director Denis Villeneuve is ready to turn that pipe dream into a reality, and he’ll be doing so with the help of Sony Pictures.
Having already set up shop at Alcon Entertainment, pre-production on the follow-up to Scott’s seminal 1982 genre piece is well underway, and news emerged late last year that Ryan Gosling was a lock to star opposite Harrison Ford, who is poised to reprise his role as Rick Deckard. Penned by Michael Green and Hampton Fancher, who co-write the original all those years ago, there’s scant details to go on other than the fact that Blade Runner 2 will pick up several decades after its predecessor.
As for today’s announcement that Sony will distribute Villeneuve’s sequel internationally, the company’s Tom Rothman released the following statement.
“We are excited to work with Tom Rothman, Michael Lynton and then entire Sony team on this very special project as well as maintaining our important and long-standing relationship with our domestic partner Warner Bros. Pictures. At Sony, we have made a strong commitment to the international marketplace. We know of few projects with greater international potential than the long dreamed of sequel to ‘Blade Runner,’ especially given the all-star creative team Andrew and Broderick have assembled. We are deeply grateful to everyone at Alcon, Denis and Ridley for entrusting us with such a gift. Working on a ‘Blade Runner’ film also fulfills a long-time personal ambition, as I deeply love and admire the original.”
Taking cues from its genre-defining original while acting as a standalone experience, early reports on Blade Runner 2 have painted the follow-up in an overly positive light, and we hope that Ford, Scott and Villeneuve can carry that momentum through to the movie’s debut. Principal photography will get underway in July of this year.