Before Harrison Ford Starred in ‘Blade Runner’, Ridley Scott Faced Doubts

Even though Harrison Ford is now a household name, the film’s investors were taken aback by his choice to play Rick Deckard in ‘Blade Runner’ in the early 1980s. Director Ridley Scott recently told GQ that he had to convince the film’s investors that Ford was the best candidate for the lead part in the 1982 sci-fi blockbuster.
Ford wasn’t considered a major celebrity at the time, according to Scott, despite his well-known appearances as Indiana Jones in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981) and Han Solo in ‘Star Wars’ (1977). Scott told the bankers they would soon learn who Ford was when they questioned his casting and asked in a dismissive manner. Scott cast Ford as the movie’s main character because he was sure of his abilities.
In a 2023 interview with Empire, Scott acknowledged that he wished he had directed ‘Blade Runner 2049’, the 2017 follow-up, in light of the franchise’s legacy. Rather, he decided to focus on the sequel to his 2012 movie ‘Prometheus’, ‘Alien: Covenant’. Scott gave ‘Blade Runner 2049’, which was directed by Denis Villeneuve and had Ford reprising his role as Deckard with Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, and Jared Leto, high marks even though he did not direct the follow-up.
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In the future, Scott will be an executive producer of ‘Blade Runner 2099’, a new series that will be available on OTT and carry on the franchise. The original ‘Blade Runner’ is one of the most significant sci-fi movies ever created, according to Vernon Sanders, head of worldwide television at Amazon Studios, who expressed excitement about the project. He pledged that despite introducing the ‘Blade Runner’ universe to a new audience, the series would respect the intelligence and spirit of its forerunners.
The casting of Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh in the series has increased interest in the continuation of the cherished brand.
–Farheen Ali