It's too bad she won't live...but then again, who does?

News reaches me that a film company called Alcon have acquired the rights to both Blade Runner and Philip K Dick's "Do Androids...etc" with a view to making Prequels and Sequels.  First reaction...irk!

Now, I'm a total geek. I'm not ashamed.  I love Blade Runner to the extent that I've read Paul Sammon's "Future Noir" making of Blade Runner book quite a few times (no shit - it really is a fascinating read).

However, having seen the recent re-imagining of Tron one's first reaction is to ask them very kindly not to bother. (after all, one interview I've read with the producers states that the interview was taking place on their latest "Queen Latifah movie" - irk, again.)

While I'm completely curious as to what they plan to do with it (like I was with Tron), I can't escape the fact that I'll probably come away disappointed.  

I'm fairly confident that any attempt to re-visit the LA that Ridley Scott visually engineered will end in a fairly bland chase-and-shoot-fest, because that's all they do nowadays.  I don't think they'd be brave enough to make a film as iconic in design, or explores as many different themes or is simply as intelligent as a Blade Runner sequel would deserve to be.  They'd probably try and get Will Smith.

I do wonder though whether they should save themselves the time, bother and hassle and simply release another Remastered Director's Director's Cut (Widescreen) Blu-Ray version or something.  After all, whoever owns the film has made a few quid out of me - each time they've released a new version I have to buy the bugger. Gathering dust chez moi: VHS version, VHS widescreen, VHS Director's Cut, DVD version (lent to former friend - I still want that back by the way wherever you are), Replacement DVD version, Final Cut edition and Blu-Ray Final Cut Edition.

So save yourselves the trouble, you Hollywood types.  Simply put the original in a new box and idiots like me will buy it.  And to be perfectly frank, I think I'd prefer that to watching Will Smith chasing Jar-Jar Binks in a 'Spinner'* in a (irk) fast-paced, epic Summer blockbuster that just borrows the best bits but totally misses the point of the original Blade Runner**.

*see...told you I was a geek.
**Please see the remakes of Rollerball, Planet of the Apes, The Day the Earth Stood Still, et al...