Blade Runner Original Writer Hampton Fancher To Script Sequel
Ridley Scott's sequel will centre around a female protagonist.
Blade Runner writer Hampton Fancher is in talks to develop the story for the developing "Blade Runner" sequel with Ridley Scott. Fancher co-wrote the original film, which is based on the novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sleep by acclaimed sci-fi author Philip K. Dick. It was directed by Scott in 1982 and, while considered a commercial flop on release, has become one of the cornerstones of the sci-fi genre. The film follows Harrison Fords character Rick Deckard in the (at the time, distant) future of 2019, where he earns a living as a Blade Runner, an agent tasked with tracking down and destroying a group of rogue androids, known as Replicants. There have been numerous attempts to create a follow up film to the original. Scott has been involved with most of these, at one stage working on a sequel to be called "Metropolis", which would focus on off world colonies, while in 2009, he was said to be working on a prequel web series called "Purefold". The announcement of Fanchers involvement comes with the statement that the new film will indeed be a sequel, rather than a sequel. There is currently no news about casting, although production company Alcon Entertainment have now officially stated that the film will not focus on Fords character Deckard. Furthermore, during interviews for Prometheus, Scott stated that the new film would be likely to have a female protagonist. While this does not rule out possible future involvement from Ford, it is unlikely that he would return in anything beyond a minor capacity. With Prometheus fast approaching, it would seem that Scott has been buoyed by his return to sci-fi, and has been encouraged to return to the Blade Runner universe as well. Hiring Fancher would seem to suggest that Scott is hoping to recapture the tone of the original film, though it should be noted that Alcon would probably then need to hire David Peoples, the other credited writer on the original film, to rewrite Fanchers script, as only Peoples version of the 1982 film got Dicks seal of approval. Prometheus is released on June 8th, and stars Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender.