Ridley Scott Confirms Blade Runner And Alien TV Series Are Being Developed
We're rapidly running out of ways to say this, but Ridley Scott is 83 years of age and is currently enjoying productivity levels that those of us half his age and younger can only ever dream of. After releasing the "Rashomon"-like historical epic "The Last Duel" earlier this year to largely positive reviews (though to markedly less enthusiastic box office results), Scott still has "House of Gucci" and its parade of incredible Italian accents — which, it must be noted, star Lady Gaga maintained off-camera for months — set to release later this week. Of course, that's not even counting everything he still has on his plate after this year, including his intent to step back into directorial duties for the planned "Gladiator" sequel.
When one legendary filmmaker is responsible for so many genre classics in decades past, it's only natural that he would be involved in revivals of those original movies. It was already announced that Noah Hawley will be the showrunner on the FX "Alien" television series, but Scott has provided an update on that show and has also revealed the surprising news that a "Blade Runner" series is also in the works. May Ridley Scott continue to stay busy with work for as long as he wants to!
Blade Runner and Alien Series Updates
Ridley Scott has seen things you people wouldn't believe ... but luckily, he's telling us all about it.
During an interview on BBC Radio (via Variety), the acclaimed filmmaker has provided the news that a pair of television spin-offs from two of his most widely respected films are currently well into their respective stages of development. First, we're apparently getting a "Blade Runner" series! This isn't a completely unprecedented development, as Crunchyroll, Toonami, and Adult Swim have all teamed up to deliver an anime series that takes place in the same world, titled "Blade Runner: Black Lotus." This previously unannounced series, however, is something else entirely. Scott describes it as a 10-episode series that will presumably be in live-action and has already had work completed on a pilot script and the series bible, which is essentially an in-depth document used to pitch a complete picture of an entire show.
"We [have already] written the pilot for 'Blade Runner' and the bible. So, we're already presenting 'Blade Runner' as a TV show, the first 10 hours."
With Scott attached to the project is some creative capacity and with "Black Lotus" showing that an audience remains for future stories told in the world of "Blade Runner," it's perhaps only a matter of time before this series is officially greenlit.
What's more, Scott mentioned that the in-development "Alien" series is also following a "similar" track, with a pilot and a bible in the process of being written to encompass 8 to 10 hours of plot. We would assume that Scott was either a little more tactful about the prospects of this series or kept his opinions about recreating the magic of the original to himself altogether. Then again, Scott has more than earned the right to hold whatever creative opinions he wants!
We'll be sure to bring more updates on both of these shows as they come in.