Warner Bros. to Acquire Prequel and Sequel Rights to Blade Runner

This is one of those press releases that announces that something may happen, indeed seems likely to happen, but hasn't yet. But it's interesting, so we're passing on the information.

A Warner Bros.-financed production company, Alcon Entertainment, is in final discussions to acquire the film and television rights to any prequels or sequels to the 1982 film Blade Runner. (Read the entire press release on Deadline|New York.)

Warner Bros. produced the original film, adapted from the Philip K. Dick short story "Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?", which stars Harrison Ford and was directed by Ridley Scott.

Alcon's rights are all-inclusive but specifically exclude remaking the film itself, though storylines could include characters and/or settings introduced in the film.

"We recognize the responsibility we have to do justice to the memory of the original with any prequel or sequel we produce," said Alcon co-founders Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. "We have long-term goals for the franchise, and are exploring multi-platform concepts, not just limiting ourselves to one medium only."