There was some expectation that after Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 landmark sci-fi film Blade Runner, we’d get more live-action stories set in that fantastic universe but when Blade Runner 2049 didn’t light the box office on fire that seemed to be put on ice.
Director Denis Villeneuve had teased interest in returning to the franchise tackling a new story that wasn’t a direct sequel to 2049. Eventually, an anime series Blade Runner: Black Lotus from Japan was produced and recently debuted on WarnerMedia’s Adult Swim.
However, Ridley Scott has revealed a live-action Blade Runner series in the works at Alcon with the pilot written and is eyeing a 10-episode run. Scott mentioned this on BBC Radio 4’s Today this Monday.
“We’re already into having written the pilot for Blade Runner and the bible, so we’re already presenting Blade Runner as a TV show, which will probably be the first 10 hours.”
The original Blade Runner is loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electic Sheep? and was adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. It’s considered one of the most visually striking films ever made.
We’re still in the dark about who is writing the pilot and if it’ll land at HBO Max or elsewhere. It’s also unknown if we’ll continue on Earth as Los Angeles has been the primary setting or if we’ll finally explore the multiple off-world colonies. One of the biggest mysteries of the franchise is what the off-colonies look like along with how Replicants are forced into labor and warfare.
I have to assume WarnerMedia would be involved given rights holders Alcon had Warner Bros. distribute Blade Runner 2049 and Black Lotus at Adult Swim. Ridley Scott’s sci-fi series Raised By Wolves debuted at HBO Max’s launch and had been one of their most popular originals, leading to a season two order.
BLADE RUNNER – Deckard (Harrison Ford) is forced by the police Boss (M. Emmet Walsh) to continue his old job as Replicant Hunter. His assignment: eliminate four escaped Replicants from the colonies who have returned to Earth. Before starting the job, Deckard goes to the Tyrell Corporation and he meets Rachel (Sean Young), a Replicant girl he falls in love with.
BLADE RUNNER 2049 – Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who’s been missing for 30 years.
SOURCE: BBC
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