Update: if there’s a beeping sound coming from Ridley Scott, it’s because he’s backtracking on his previous thoughts. "I don’t know about not directing Blade Runner 2 yet,” he told Yahoo! at an Exodus junket. “It’s a tricky one because it’s so personal. The script is very, very good. Very good. I wouldn’t know what sort of director we’d want. It’s a hard one to track because it’s a very personal piece of my work." Feel free to a) panic, b) feel reassured or, c) wait until he actually, *finally *decides before you react. Whoever ends up behind the cameras, the film is reportedly ready to shoot next year.
With Exodus: Gods And Kings fast approaching, Ridley Scott has naturally been out on the publicity tour rounds. During a hefty profile in Variety, the little morsel dropped that the director is apparently no longer planning to make the long-gestating sequel to **Blade Runner.
But before you panic (or celebrate, depending on your feelings about the purported sequel), simmer down: the film is still on track to be made, just with Scott producing and someone else directing. As for what the plot will be, he’s not spilling specifics just yet, but reports that he’s figured something out with Blade Runner writer Hampton Fancher. “We talked at length about what it could be, and came up with a pretty strong three-act storyline, and it all makes sense in terms of how it relates to the first one,” says Scott.
And what of the other seemingly vital element for a Blade Runner follow-up, one Harrison Ford? Sounds like he will be in it, but not immediately. “Harrison is very much part of this one, but really it’s about finding him; he comes in in the third act.”
So there you have it. Does Scott’s decision to not direct the film make you worry? And do you like the idea that the film’s focus will be less on Ford’s Rick Deckard and more on other people tracking him down? And do you think the director might change his mind and take up the reins again once he finishes work on his next job, The Martian? Let us know on Twitter and in the comments section. Exodus: Gods And Kings, meanwhile, is out on December 26.