Good news first: Ridley Scott has found a solution to the problem of having double-booked Blade Runner 2 and Prometheus 2 on his calendar. Now the bad news: Ridley Scott has dropped out of Blade Runner 2, leaving it vulnerable to the Damon Lindelofs of the world.
Scott revealed this information in a recent interview with Variety about Exodus: Gods And Kings, where he said that he won’t direct the long-delayed sequel but is attached as a producer. He also said he’s been working on the script with Blade Runner writer Hampton Fancher, all of which means there is absolutely no pressure on whoever takes over this project to live up to decades’ worth of expectations from both the creator of Blade Runner—whose vision was compromised the first time around—and a fan base that considers the original a classic.
However, there is one person who will be happy to see someone else sitting in the director’s chair. Scott tells Variety that Harrison Ford, who famously did not get along with Scott on the set of Blade Runner, is included in plans for the sequel, or at least has been written into the script. “Harrison is very much part of this one, but really it’s about finding him; he comes in in the third act, “ Scott says, conjuring up images of a dystopian sci-fi version of Where’s Waldo? with hundreds of trenchcoat-clad blade runners in the climactic scene. According to Scott, Blade Runner 2 will begin shooting next year.