The long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 film, Blade Runner, will officially begin production in July 2016. Anticipation for the sequel picked up after producer Ridley Scott showed the opening scene at the AFI Festival, although there is no news of the exact release date yet. Warner Bros. Pictures will handle distribution statewide, while Sony Pictures handles distribution around the globe. The sequel is set to star Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, reprising his role as Rick Deckard, the world’s most famous maybe-android. Blade Runner 2 will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher, co-writer of the original, and Michael Green, based on an idea by Fancher and Scott. The story takes place several decades after the end of the 1982 original film, and will presumably answer some of the burning questions fans have been holding onto.
Alcon Entertainment bought the television, film and ancillary franchise rights in 2011 from the late producer Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, so they could produce prequels and sequels. Cynthia will produce alongside Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, Bud Yorkin will receive producer credit. The CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, will be executive producers along with Ridley Scott.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Blade Runner, modified by Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and directed by Ridley Scott, was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction. It has also been deemed one of the greatest movies and science fiction films of all time and a major influence on the cyberpunk and dystopian genres.