It was confirmed yesterday that Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Rick Deckard in the sequel to the cult sci-fi classic Blade Runner. 

It is another big budget sci-fi sequel that follows the big announcements of sequels to Star Wars and the Alien series. The original film was directed by Ridley Scott in 1982 and the legendary director had been pencilled in to direct the sequel, when it was announced back in 2011, generating massive excitement from fans.

However, it was revealed in November last year that he had dropped out of directing and would instead be continuing as a producer. Scotts production company, Alcon entertainment, are currently in negotiations with Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve to take up the directors role. The original plan was for Scott to team up again with the writer of the first Blade Runner, Hampton Fancher, for the sequel. A return to the winning formula from before it seemed?

But it was later revealed that the script would be given to Michael Green, the writer behind the critically panned comic book movies Fantastic Four and The Green Lantern. A move that has no doubt caused fans to be slightly worried. First the original director pulls out and then the original writer will be having his script rejigged by another writer, who does not have the best track record.

When Blade Runner was first released it received a mixed response from critics, some criticising the slow pace whilst others praised the special effects, that were so advanced for the time. There are over seven versions of the film that exist, all with different edits. Scott himself has only backed two releases of the film, the 1992 Directors Cut and the 2007 Final Cut, due to early releases of the film containing scenes that were not approved by Scott but the studio put them in anyway.

Fans may be worried where their beloved Blade Runner story will be heading in the sequel? But there is a glimmer of hope. Ridley Scott recently recently revealed in an interview that Harrison Ford apparently thinks the script is: “the best thing (he’s) ever read.” There is hope it seems.