20 Things You Didn't Know About Blade Runner
9. Ridley Scott Was Fired Hours After Principal Photography Wrapped
Due to the troubled nature of the film's production, with constant on-set tension and a rapidly expanding budget, executive producers Jerry Perenchio and Bud Yorkin stepped in and fired Scott and producer Michael Deeley almost immediately after shooting had wrapped, taking control of the editing process.
After rehiring Scott and Deeley at the behest of Alan Ladd Jr, they retained artistic control, resulting in disastrous preview screenings. They were then responsible for the addition of a happy ending using unused footage from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and the inclusion of a voiceover from Harrison Ford - one that he hated so much, he delivered the entire thing with all the inflection of a piece of rotting driftwood. It goes a long way to explaining Blade Runner's initial poor reception.