After nearly 34 years, the sequel to Blade Runner is one step closer to actually happening. Alcon Entertainment has announced that Blade Runner 2 is slated to begin filming in July.

Original Blade Runner star Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Rick Deckard opposite Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2, with Sicario director Denis Villeneuve slated to helm the much anticipated sequel. Blade Runner director Ridley Scott and c0-screenwriter Hampton Fancher conceived the idea for the sequel, which was co-written by Fancher and Michael Green.

Blade Runner was based on Philip K. Dick’s classic sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and it has become one of the most influential sci-fi films since its initial release in 1982. The film introduced audiences to Ford’s Rick Deckard as he was assigned to track down and destroy bio-engineered androids called Replicants who were nearly indistinguishable from humans. Along the way, Deckard developed feelings for Rachael (Sean Young), a Replicant who was made to believe that she was human.

Thanks to the director’s cut of Blade Runner, the question of whether Deckard was also a Replicant is still widely debated. Presumably Blade Runner 2 will tackle that question once and for all.

While Blade Runner 2 is currently without a release date, Villeneuve has directed a sci-fi film called Story Of Your Life, which is widely expected to debut at Cannes later this year. That should give Blade Runner fans a taste of what Villeneuve might bring to the sequel.

Are you excited about the prospect of Blade Runner 2? And what do you want to see happen in the sequel? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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HT: Indie Wire

Image Credit:Warner Bros.