by: Jay P. Carlson

In a new interview with EW Ridley Scott dropped a bit of news about his three upcoming projects, The Martian (starring Matt Damon), Blade Runner 2 and Prometheus 2. All three projects have completed screenplays and are ready to go.  Scott had the following to say about Blade Runner 2:

It’s written and it’s damn good. Of course it involves Harrison, who is a survivor after all these years—despite the accident. [That being Ford’s Star Wars injury.] So yes, that will happen.

Depending on the day, I count Blade Runner as, perhaps, my favorite film of all time. It’s certainly top three. Some of the plot is a bit confusing, bordering on not making sense and the pacing feels way off at certain points. The film is not a masterpiece, but it’s a masterpiece to me, warts and all. I love it a little more each time I see it. And I’ve seen it a lot.

That said, I am absolutely opposed to the prospect of a Blade Runner sequel. It scares the shit out of me, honestly.

In speaking with other Blade Runner fans, I have yet to find someone who is honestly excited at the prospect of a sequel. That leads me to ask the obvious question, who exactly is this film for? If the die-hard fans aren’t excited at the prospect of a sequel, then why make it? It’s obvious that Blade Runner has a devoted fan base who have supported the film all these years, seeing the various incarnations in theaters, and buying all those home video releases. I can’t lie and say that I won’t be there on Blade Runner 2‘s opening weekend. But, make no mistake, it’s not because I’m so excited to see the further adventures of Rick Deckard. No. I’ll be there to assess how much damage it does to the original film. That’s where this film is going to make it’s money, from all of us fans rubbernecking to see if the accident is as bad as we expect it will be once they get to the front of the line.

The way I see it there are a couple possible scenarios for Blade Runner 2…

The film comes out and is hailed as a masterpiece of sight, sound and storytelling. It instantly becomes the high water mark of what a sci-fi film should strive to achieve visually and inspires filmmakers for the next thirty years and beyond.

… Does anyone think this is likely, or possible, for that matter?

I certainly don’t. I think it’s far more likely that the sequel won’t even come close to living up to the original and it’s very existence will do irreparable damage to it. Its simple existence damages the ambiguity of the first film. Aside from the dazzling visuals, what made Blade Runner so great was that it treated the viewers as intelligent adults and didn’t spoon-feed all the answers. It was a film that challenged its viewers to think.

Out of respect for the first film, I honestly hope this one never hits the big screen. Stick to making a mediocre Prometheus 2. I love Ridley Scott and I love Ridley Scott films. They aren’t all great, some of them are not even good. But I still think he has it in him to make a great film or two before he hangs it up. I just don’t want him to gamble with Blade Runner. It’s too near and dear to my heart.

What do you guys think? Is anyone interested in actually seeing Blade Runner 2? Is there any way you could see a sequel working?