Another day, another interview with Sir Ridley Scott. Out and about talking up The Martian, Scott has been dropping word on his future films like an ovipositor implants alien eggs. But chatting with Yahoo, he’s focused more on long-gestating sequel Blade Runner 2, which like his plans for Prometheus, may extend further than first thought.
Asked when the film will be set, Scott offers bluntly, “It was 2017, so coming back it’ll be 2047, roughly,” while adding praise for Ryan Gosling, who will co-star with Harrison Ford and carry the franchise going forward. “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.”
And what of that idea that Gosling is in place so that more films can be made after this one? “Listen: Everyone else is, so why not? I love to work,” explains Scott. “The French say, ‘Work to live, and I live to work. I’m very lucky to have a job that I adore. Some of it’s trying, but it’s like being in professional sport. It’s so competitive [that] you better keep bouncing the ball. You can’t rest."
He will, however, be handing the new Blade Runner over to Prisoners/Sicario director Denis Villeneuve. From the sounds of it, though, Scott will still very much be in control. “I mean, I always have final cut on everything, really. Partly because I’m very user-friendly. I always believe when you’re given X amount of money by someone to fk around with and make a movie, you can’t draw lines in the sand. If I was an investor and you did that to me, I’d remove your ankles. So don’t do the auteur st. I respect the guy for giving the money and I respect the studio for saying, ‘Yeah, you want to do this, here we go.’”
And part of that responsibility is having Ford back for the sequel despite the actor’s previous opposition. “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,’" Scott says, referring to the script that has seen work from Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. “We’ve been working on it for a couple of years.”
The plan for this one is for Ford’s Deckard to be – spoiler alert in case you haven’t seen Blade Runner – embracing his Replicant side. “Of course he’s a bloody Replicant! He’s going to have to admit it.” Which does make us wonder how he can stay alive when the replicants in the original had a built-in limited lifespan. “You’ll have to see the story. It’ll all make sense.”
The Martian arrives in the UK today and hits US screens on October 2. For more from Scott, check out our chat with him about **Alien: Paradise Lost and keep an ear open for the next Empire Podcast for a full interview with the man, which will be online Friday.