Ridley Scott To Direct New ‘Blade Runner’ Film *Updated

Well this is just about the most exciting news that we’ve heard about Sci Fi since Ridley Scott was named as the director of Prometheus! Ridley Scott has now just signed on to do a new movie in the ‘Blade Runner’ series!

Now, details on this are pretty sparse at the moment… and by that, we mean that at the moment all we know is Ridley Scott is directing a film in the ‘Blade Runner’ series. We don’t know if it is a prequel or a sequel. We don’t know if they are going back to ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’, the original novel by Phillip K Dick to make a reboot. We don’t even know if Harrison Ford is involved.

Whatever the secret initial plan might be, it is sure to change… just like Prometheus. It is just really exciting to think about the possibilities of a new film from that universe and what 30 years of special effects work could possibly do to enhance the surroundings.

Stay tuned and we’ll let you know as news pops up.

*UPDATE:
Here’s the official press release:

LOS ANGELES, CA, AUGUST 18, 2011—Three-time Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott is set to helm a follow up to his own ground-breaking 1982 science fiction classic “Blade Runner” for Warner Bros-based financing and production company Alcon Entertainment (“The Blind Side,” “The Book of Eli”).

Alcon co-founders and co-Chief Executive Officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove will produce with Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, along with Ridley Scott. Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.

The filmmakers have not yet revealed whether the theatrical project will be a prequel or sequel to the renowned original.

Alcon and Yorkin recently announced that they are partnering to produce “Blade Runner” theatrical sequels and prequels, in addition to all television and interactive productions.

The original film, which has been singled out as the greatest science-fiction film of all time by a majority of genre publications, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the 2nd most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society.

State Kosove and Johnson: “It would be a gross understatement to say that we are elated Ridley Scott will shepherd this iconic story into a new, exciting direction. We are huge fans of Ridley’s and of the original ‘Blade Runner.’ This is once in a lifetime project for us.”

Scott is represented by David Wirtschafter at WME and David Nochinson at Ziffren Brittenham.

Released by Warner Bros. almost 30 years ago, “Blade Runner” was adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s groundbreaking novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and directed by Scott following his landmark “Alien.” The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction). Following the filming of “Blade Runner,” the first of Philip K. Dick’s works to be adapted into a film, many other of Dick’s works were likewise adapted, including “Total Recall,” “A Scanner Darkly,” “Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” and the recent “The Adjustment Bureau,” among others.

Source: Deadline