Ridley Scott is a creator that likes to keep moving. While promoting his upcoming film The Martian, Scott has been dropping plenty of hints about his future projects. He recently revealed that his planned Prometheus sequels will tie directly into the Alien franchise, with the first sequel now called Alien: Paradise Lost.
While the Alien/Prometheus franchise is getting a lot of attention lately, Scott has another high-profile sequel currently in the works. Blade Runner 2 (not the official title) has long been in development, with the original team of Scott and Hampton Fancher working on the script. Sicario director Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct, with Harrison Ford set to reprise his role as Rick Deckard.
Speaking with Yahoo Movies, Scott took a few minutes to discuss the upcoming sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic. The director currently has multiple sequels planned in the Prometheus franchise, so naturally, he was asked if more than one sequel was being planned for Blade Runner as well. While not confirming anything, Scott indicated the multiple sequel route was a possibility. He then reaffirmed that Ryan Gosling would be joining the production and would conceivably be the driving force of the franchise in future installments.
Using Gosling as a jumping-off point, Scott gave a quick estimation of when the sequel will actually take place.
"It was 2017, so coming back it'll be 2047 roughly. As young as you can play Ryan Gosling. He's 34, but he looks 27 when he's doing his push-ups. So maybe 2050."
The original film starred Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a "Blade Runner" who works for the police department. He's essentially a bounty hunter, tracking down and destroying androids known as Replicants that are trying to pass themselves off as humans. Scott indicated that Ford was reluctant to return, but the script changed his mind.
"I got Harrison back. Because Harrison said, 'Meh,' and I said, 'No, read this.' And I think he said, 'This is the best script I've ever had.' We've been working on it for a couple of years."
Today, many consider Blade Runner to be one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. However, at the time of its release, the film proved to be much more divisive. One of the reasons for this is an ambiguous ending which led to questions about the main protagonist's identity, for which Scott said he's "paid the price for 27 years." Since its release, many have debated whether Deckard is a human or a Replicant, like those he is hunting. It's a point of contention between Ford and Scott, as Ford wants Deckard to be a human. However, it looks like Scott is putting the matter to rest.
"Of course he's a bloody Replicant! He's going to have to admit it."
This is bound to raise some questions, as the original film makes it clear that a Replicant can only survive for four years and the sequel takes place thirty years in the future. Plot details are still largely a mystery, but Scott indicated the narrative is centered on locating Rick Deckard. It's possible that he's found some way to extend the lifespan of a Replicant. However, it's far more likely that Deckard was an unknown, advanced model of Replicant, as Scott himself has hinted at previously.
Screen Rant will bring you more information on Blade Runner 2 as it becomes available.