With the "Blade Runner" sequel in the works, it looks like it's going to be a busy season for Harrison Ford. Director Ridley Scott is seriously eyeing the actor for a reprisal role in the monumental film's second installment.
Alcon Entertainment, the label with the final say on the first film's prequels and sequels, are reportedly very excited about Ford's participation in the project. The people behind the first movie are slating a reunion of sorts just to make things happen.
Ridley Scott has reportedly signed up to direct and produce, as early as August 2011. Hampton Fancher, screenwriter for the first film, is onboard to help in the development for the "Blade Runner" sequel. Screenwriter Michael Greene ("Green Lantern") will also collaborate.
Details of the plot are still under wraps, but the news of Harrison Ford's role reprisal gives clues about the first film's ending. "Decker", Ford's character, may not be the android Replicant the audience thought he was after all.
Ridley also hinted there's going to be a female character with a major role in the Blade Runner sequel. The story will "definitely be featuring a female protagonist."
The "Blade Runner" sequel is set a decade after the events of the first film. Based on Philip K. Dick's 1968 novella, the movie follows a retired LA detective as he hunts down five Replicants (androids), overstaying on Earth in search of their maker and desperate to extend their shelf-life.
The 1982 cult classic was conceived with sequels and prequels considered, heavily inspired by the themes and characters in the novella.
The first film closed with a question, as to whether Ford's character was indeed an android unaware of his nature. The "Blade Runner" sequel will dig deeper into this possibility. Ridley Scott also played with the thought that the Decker character was a different generation of android altogether.
At the moment, Ford's priority is the reprisal of his Han Solo role in Star Wars: Episode VII; the "Blade Runner" sequel project is practically being cooked on the back burner at the moment (etonline.com).