With Ridley Scott‘s Alien prequel Prometheus arriving in just few weeks, we’ve finally got some solid details surrounding another return to a universe of one of his seminal sci-fi classics, Blade Runner. We got the news last summer that the director will helm the update, but we weren’t sure how exactly it will fit into the world of his 1982 film.

In a statement from producers Alcon Entertainment, it’s now confirmed to be a sequel to the original film. A writer has also been formally announced and it’s someone who knows this universe well. Hampton Fancher, who served as executive producer on the original and adapted Philip K. Dick‘s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? with David Peoples, will return to script this sequel.

Other details are sparse, but we do know it will take place “some years after the first film concluded,” and according to a recent interview with Scott from The Daily Beast, we have a hint who the main protagonist will be. It’s been confirmed Harrison Ford will take no part in this update, but Scott, who started real work on the film last week, said “they’ll definitely be featuring a female protagonist.”

While I like the work from Prometheus co-writer Damon Lindelof, some feared he may be taking the reigns on this project, considering his relationship with Scott. But I’m glad they are going back to the well and while the project will likely pass through the hands of other screenwriters, things are certainly off to a good start.

Alexandre Desplat to Score Dreamworks Animation’s ‘Rise of the Guardians’ and Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’



Alexandre Desplat has been hired to score the upcoming Dreamworks Animation feature Rise of the Guardians. The movie is based on the book series The Guardians of Childhood by William Joyce (Meet the Robinsons) who is also co-directing the film with Peter Ramsey. The movie follows a group of heroic childhood legends, including Santa Claus (voiced by Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) and Jack Frost (Chris Pine) who teaming up to stop Pitch the Boogeyman (Jude Law) from sending the world into eternal darkness. Joyce has also co-written the film’s script with David Lindsay-Abaire (Robots, Rabbit Hole). Christina Steinberg (Bee Movie) and Nancy Bernstein are producing the project and Guillermo del Toro and Michael Siegel (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) serve as executive producers. Rise of the Guardians marks Desplat’s first major animated feature and also his first project for Dreamworks. The movie is set to be release on November 21, 2012.



The prolific composer has also yet another high profile project coming up later this year. He will be scoring the thriller Argo, his first movie for director Ben Affleck who also stars in the film as Tony Mendez, the CIA exfiltration expert who created a fake Hollywood production to get six Americans who were hiding out at the Canadian ambassador’s out of Iran. Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston, Taylor Schilling and Kyle Chandler are co-starring. Chris Terrio has written the screenplay based on an article in Wired from Joshuah Bearman. George Clooney & Grant Heslov (The Men Who Stare at Goats, Good Night, and Good Luck) and David Klawans (Nacho Libre) are producing the Smoke House and GK Films production. Desplat has previously worked with Clooney and Heslov on last year’s The Ides of March. Argo is currently in post-production and will be released on September 28, 2012 by Warner Bros. Pictures.