Harrison Ford set to return for 'Blade Runner' sequel

Actor Harrison Ford is returning to one of the roles that made him an international superstar -- and it isn't Hans Solo.
Variety reported Thursday that the Hollywood veteran has agreed to reprise the role of Rick Deckard for a much-anticipated and oft-delayed sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner. The film helped solidify the industry reputations of Ford and British filmmaker Ridley Scott.
The sequel is being helmed by Denis Villeneuve, the director of 2013's Prisoners starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The sequel, likely set for a 2017 release, is scheduled to go into pre-production next summer and will include Scott as a co-producer. Variety also reported that the untitled sequel is set decades after the original film, which took place in 2019 Los Angeles.
In December, Variety reported that Ford called the sequel's script the "best thing he's ever read."
Blade Runner was only mildly received upon its 1982 release, earning just $6 million in its opening weekend and drawing mixed reviews from critics. It has since gained a tremendous following and critics have retroactively heaped praise on the film. It is now considered one of the greatest science-fiction films of all time.
Part of the Blade Runner appeal in the years since its release owes to the five different versions released by Warner Bros -- a workprint, the U.S. and international 1982 theatrical versions, Scott's 1992 "Director's Cut" and the so-called "Final Cut" in 2007.
Blade Runner also had an immense impact on films that followed, in both style and substance. Before resurrecting the Batman franchise in 2004, director Christopher Nolan reportedly screened the film for his cinematographer and two other crew members and commanded afterward, "this is how we're going to do Batman."
Scott was supposed to direct the Blade Runner sequel himself, as recently as November, but has since opted to take a producing role. Attempts at making a follow-up film have been happening since the 1980s, but rights issues ultimately led those efforts to be abandoned.