Terrible News: Bladerunner being "Franchised".

chin_grin

http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/alcon-entertainment-acquires-blade-runner-prequelsequel-rights/

Alcon Entertainment Acquires 'Blade Runner' Prequel/Sequel Rights

March 2, 2011
by Alex Billington
Blade Runner

More news to get riled up over. Alcon Entertainment released a press release (via Deadline) announcing that they're in final discussions to secure film, television and ancillary franchise rights (meaning any other spin-offs/series and so on) to produce prequels and sequels to Ridley Scott's iconic science fiction thriller Blade Runner. I guess the good news in this is that the deal excludes rights to remake the original. Phew! However, they can produce projects based on "situations introduced" in the original film. No official movies have been announced yet, but I'm sure they've got some plans for plenty of Blade Runner-related projects.

Before we get into any complaining, let's hear what the producers have to say. Alcon Ent. CEO's Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove state: "This is a major acquisition for our company, and a personal favorite film for both of us. We recognize the responsibility we have to do justice to the memory of the original with any prequel or sequel we produce. We have long-term goals for the franchise, and are exploring multi-platform concepts, not just limiting ourselves to one medium only." So not just TV, movies or video games - all three! Blade Runner was released in 1982 and has been treated fairly well by Warner Bros, including a fantastic Blu-Ray re-release a few years back. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1993 as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Let's look on the bright side here, they're not remaking Blade Runner, they're only using it as a jumping off point for sequels, prequels and whatever else they can think of, probably video games and more. Obviously the big concern here is whether they can actually develop a sequel (or prequel) that kicks ass and lives up to the original, unlike Terminator Salvation or any of the other 80's sci-fi movies rehashed into crappy direct-to-DVD sequels. Alcon will be developing the projects, and Warner Bros will distributie anything that needs it. We'll continue to follow development and will let you know when they announce any movies. Thoughts?

I like the way they mention that they're going to do the original justice. But I can't help but think that this is a film that should just be left as it should be. Alone and perfectly happy so.

Snif.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die.

Mindkiller

Fanboys worry too much about silly things.

chin_grin

Mindkiller wrote: »

Fanboys worry too much about silly things.

Dya want a f*ckin' medal or something?

indough

i dont see whats to lose. you will either get some great new material or some crap you can ignore, it wont change the first film. and by the way bladerunner itself isnt exactly original (i still love it though) - ideas taken from a book, copied the style of film noir, the setting from metropolis and the name robbed from somewhere else.

mike65

Just another indicator of Hollywoods creative bankruptcy, any Blade Runner branded "product" will sully the 1982 film, it can't help but do that.

old hippy

If they do it well - Sarah Connor Chronicles alters the timeline so the rubbish T3 is all a bad memory - it could make for interesting viewing.

I'll wait and see. I'm sure there was a novel of a sequel at one stage...

ztoical

It could go either way TBH....you could get something like Stargate SG1 out of it or a really bad 'follow' up film. I always thought Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? could be an interesting mini series as the whole idea of the real animals via fake and the religion created in the book could be expanded upon but Bladerunner is only a very loose adaption of the book and the piece here doesn't make it clear what rights exactly they have....is it just to Bladerunner or to it's source material as well?

indough

still waiting for a ubik movie

JP Liz V1

So many reboots and remakes happening these days

sink

It could make an excellent setting for a TV show so long as it's done right. The film was so rich with subtext that merits further exploration. I don't think the film needs a direct sequel or prequel, in fact if they left Deckard and all the character from the original completely out of it it would be best, but they could use the setting very well.

The Mad Hatter

Doesn't matter to me, as they can't touch the original (now near-perfect in the final cut). Hollywood churns out an action blockbuster or two that I won't watch, and in return it rakes in a big pile of cash to make films I will.

chin_grin

sink wrote: »

It could make an excellent setting for a TV show so long as it's done right. The film was so rich with subtext that merits further exploration. I don't think the film needs a direct sequel or prequel, in fact if they left Deckard and all the character from the original completely out of it it would be best, but they could use the setting very well.

That reminds me that they did to a series for Total Recall (with stark influences from Blade Runner)! Have only seen a few clips though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Recall_2070

I did like the point-and-click adventure as (as far as I remember) you were playing parallel to the storyline in the film as another detective.

Mickeroo

THe news is only as bad as what they end up doing with the rights. If they pull off a decent sequeal/prequeal/spin off then I'm all for it.

chin_grin

Mickeroo wrote: »

THe news is only as bad as what they end up doing with the rights. If they pull off a decent sequeal/prequeal/spin off then I'm all for it.

True. I've probably jumped the gun a bit being a bit of a "please don't touch the original" fanboy. I mean if it ends up that it is a work of genius I'll eat my words (easier than my hat).

But at the moment with remakes and demakes and sequels and prequels a go go, I don't really have much hope for this.

pixelburp

It's worth pointing out that the original movie was already sullied by the creation of "sequel" novels, but I guess the limited audience they would have received lessened their impact. I never read them so couldn't comment as to their quality, but I can't imagine they come close to the film. Particularly from a visual point of view of course

I'm fairly annoyed by this announcement ... but! So long as they leave the story of Deckard / Rachel alone, then to be fair this is a culturally / visually rich world worth exploring.
As world-building goes, Bladerunner surely ranks up there with the best of them and has left an indelible mark on scFi conventions since its release. Not bad going for what was, at the time, a flop. We barely scratched the surface of this future-LA of 2019 (ok, let's ignore that detail), and there were so many hints & suggestions as to how this world operated and functioned. There's definite potential in there somewhere.

On a side note - did anyone go to see Bladerunner when it was screened in Cineworld as part of their Classics season? It was the first time I'd seen it in a cinema: it really was an experience.

mikhail

pixelburp wrote: »

It's worth pointing out that the original movie was already sullied by the creation of "sequel" novels, but I guess the limited audience they would have received lessened their impact. I never read them so couldn't comment as to their quality, but I can't imagine they come close to the film. Particularly from a visual point of view of course

They're supposed to suffer from a compromise continuity - both Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Blade Runner are treated as having happened, meaning that it contradicts both and satisfies fans of neither. Other than that, I've never heard much about the sequels on their own merits.

MetalDog

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/04/blade-runner-prequel-sequel-warner

Alcon production outfit is in the final stages of acquiring the rights to produce a prequel or sequel of Ridley Scott's cult classic.The original film, based loosely Philip K Dick's short story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, presents a dystopian vision of a future Los Angeles in which a policeman is hunting four illegal androids. Blade Runner performed poorly at the box office on its release but gained an underground following and regularly appears in lists of the best films of all time.
"Alcon's franchise rights would be all-inclusive, but exclude rights to remake the original," a spokesman told Slashfilm.com. "The company, however, may produce projects based on situations introduced in the original film. The project would be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. International rights are yet to be determined."
The science fiction website io9.com said it had spoken with the producers behind the project, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Bud Yorkin, with Kosove saying they didn't know whether the Blade Runner reboot would be a prequel or sequel.
"We don't know yet, it's too early," Kosove said. "The only way to answer that is to say that we will have a process where we will hear different ideas from writers or from potential directors who we will bring in, in combination with the writers, before determining. We could be open to either a prequel or a sequel."
Kosove said "Ridley Scott's blessing to what were doing is very important to Alcon".
Blade Runner was named the favourite science fiction film of scientists in a 2004 Guardian poll, with Dr Stephen Minger, director of stem cell biology at King's College London, describing it as "the best movie ever made".
"It was so far ahead of its time and the whole premise of the story – what is it to be human and who are we, where we come from – it's the age-old questions," he said.
Last month a report by the Box Office Mojo website said one in five films to hit cinemas in 2011 would be a sequel.

Say it isn't so

jaykhunter

tbh I only saw this film a few months ago and wasn't blown away by the storyline -- i thought the world they made was pretty special and it could've done with 2 more sequels to delve deeper into characters etc. Sure who cares if they're crap, it'll just serve to make the original better, and you don't have to watch them if you don't want. Worth a go anyway, they might be decent.

Renn

Thanks but I'll decide whether or not it's terrible news.

PeterIanStaker

Can they not just leave this film in the past and not destroy its legacy?

Try telling that to G****e L***s though:rolleyes:

chin_grin

Renn wrote: »

Thanks but I'll decide whether or not it's terrible news.

Good for you. Let me know when you've finally made your decision.

3DataModem

My reaction (in Haiku)

Better try than not.
If its bad we can ignore.
Don't worry so much.

chin_grin

3DataModem wrote: »

My reaction (in Haiku)

Better try than not.
If its bad we can ignore.
Don't worry so much.

Now please make an origami swan out of this thread.

Phony Scott

Blade Runner is certainly in my top five favourite movies of all time, but I don't mind if they turn it into a franchise, too much time has passed for me to care at this stage.

I read two awful sequel books about fifteen years back and was still holding out for a film sequel at that point. The principle cast would have still been able to pull off a decent sequel, if only Harrison Ford had mellowed enough at that time. Instead we got a very nice computer game, which was set in the same universe, but didn't have any of the main characters as far as I remember, but it far from sullied the Blade Runner name.

I was happy enough with the game, so I can easily see a tv show working, that is, if they stick to the themes and issues raised in the film, however, this is a risky venture on the whole.

Although it is a masterpiece, Blade Runner is still only a cult film and doesn't have as much wide appeal as some people think. If it is made into a tv show, it'll probably jettison alot of what makes the film brilliant.