'Blade Runner' sequel: Ridley Scott wants Harrison Ford back

Han Solo is not the only Harrison Ford character making a comeback. Ridley Scott wants the actor to reprise the role of Replicant-hunter Rick Deckard for an upcoming Blade Runner sequel.

In a somewhat unusual move, the producers at Alcon Entertainment announced this morning that they are making an offer to the 71-year-old actor to appear in the movie, which obviously would pick up several decades after the events of the original sci-fi tale.

Ford would not be the only veteran to return: Along with original director Scott, the film is being written by Hampton Fancher (who helped adapt the 1982 film from Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) and Michael Green.

“We believe that Hampton Fancher and Michael Green have crafted with Ridley Scott an extraordinary sequel to one of the greatest films of all time. We would be honored, and we are hopeful, that Harrison will be part of our project,” read the statement from Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, co-founders and CEOs of Alcon.

Most producers prefer only to announce their casting decisions after an actor has signed on the dotted line, but occasionally a public offer (even if the amount isn’t public) helps generate fan enthusiasm and can help nudge negotiations along. Universal leaked similar offers for Kristin Stewart to star in Snow White and the Huntsman. (They also offered the other title role to Hugh Jackman, who turned it down.)

What Alcon’s announcement does is reassure the passionate admirers of Blade Runner that they are trying to maintain fidelity to the original; and if Ford ends up not making the movie, well … it wasn’t their fault. They offered.

So far, Ford’s camp hasn’t responded to request for comment.

Blade Runner has been the subject of fierce debate and argument over the past three decades: Was Deckard, the man tasked with hunting down rogue Replicants, actually a Replicant himself?

Given that there’s a role for Ford in this sequel, that’s a pop culture mystery that may finally get an answer.

We may never find out if androids do dream of electric sheep, but if he is one, we’ll know this at least: they age.

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