"Blade Runner" Continued

While this all this may seem like a bit much for a 25-year-old film that bombed in the theaters, keep in mind that "Blade Runner" has a passionate cult following and is widely considered one of the finest and most-influential science fiction films of all time. "Blade Runner" dominated Comic-Con 2007 as much as any yet-to-be-released blockbuster film at the convention. Part of the reason for the interest it generated at Comic-Con is because the movie has taken on a kind of mythic status, from the debate over the main character's origin and the various versions of the film to the troubled production and infamous on-set conflicts between the director, studio and stars of the film.

View the Blade Runner Final Cut slide Show (22 images)

One of the highlights of Comic-Con was a Warner. Bros session devoted to the DVDs of "300" and "Blade Runner" (though clearly more people crammed into the packed ballroom for "Blade Runner"). The "Blade Runner" panel featured Scott, De Lauzirika, Mead and Paull along with special effects supervisor Mark Stetson and actors Sean Young (Rachael), Joanna Cassidy (Zhora), Joe Turkel (Dr.Tyrell) and the incomparable James Hong (Hannibal Chew).

The cast and crew talked about the legacy of the film as well as some of the memories of the making of "Blade Runner." First, the question that was on a lot of people's minds was will there be a "Blade Runner" sequel at some point. Scott told the audience that he would like to do another science fiction movie and even went so far as to say he thinks a "Blade Runner" sequel could be done. "Of course, I think [Deckard and Rachael] are both replicants, so that's a pretty good starting block for us. I'm not going to tell you anything else, otherwise you might steal it," he joked.

"Blade Runner" director Ridley Scott at Comic-Con 2007.

It was interesting to hear Scott talk about the film after so many years. He described how at one point he had basically been fired from the movie, which was plagued by production issues and budget overruns, not to mention friction between Scott and his leading man, Ford (Ford was busy filming "Indiana Jones 4" and was not available for the panel though he did chime in via satellite for Comic-Con with Steven Spielberg and others on the set of the movie).

Scott said he was surprised by the films reception from hardcore sci-fi fans, who loved the film. He also said he believes it doesn't really matter much what he thinks about the film. "I think it's really good," he said, "but after 25 years the movie isn't really yours anymore."

Scott also talked about a meeting he had with Dick after much of the film's production had wrapped up. Dick had originally been upset about "Blade Runner" because he wasn't informed the film was actually being made and had read an early version of the script, which he blasted. But later on, Scott met with Dick and showed him a rough cut of the film, which impressed the author. Dick also recommended Scott take a look at his novel "The Man in the High Castle," which many consider to be the author's best work. Dick died several months before "Blade Runner" opened and thus never saw the completed film.

When the question arose about why the film has held up so well after 25 years and still seems like it's ahead of its time, Stetson said: "There was so much craft applied to it when we made it." Meanwhile, Turkel said the reason the film has endured is because "the picture is art in an art form." And recalled what "Blade Runner" meant to him: "Simplicity, the truth and a beautiful film."

In a separate panel, Mead and author Paul Sammon discussed the making of "Blade Runner" and Mead's visual designs of Los Angeles in 2019. The two discussed several interesting factoids about the movie, such as how the top of the memorable Police headquarters building actually used part of the mothership from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Mead said the film had four or five different beginnings that were proposed. One version began on an off-world colony where retired replicants were being loaded into a furnace and cremated, but Scott and the producers felt it was too similar to the Holocaust. Sammon added that Scott considered shooting the movie in Hong Kong and was going to put the Tyrell building in Hong Kong harbor. But after Scott and the producers saw how much it would cost to film in Hong Kong, they aborted the idea.

Syd Mead (left) and Paul Sammon at Comic-Con 2007.

Mead also talked about how he came up with the concepts for the movie's memorable futuristic imagery. "I didn't read the book until after I worked on the movie," Mead said, adding that he felt it was Scott's movie and therefore had to follow the director and the script. Essentially, Mead wanted to show "overlay" of older, stone architecture existing at the bottom and newer technology like flying cars, giant digital billboards and looming skyscrapers built on top. After reading "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" Mead said he felt Scott did a fantastic job adapting Dick's story and translating his vision to the screen.

The new "Blade Runner" DVD sets are currently available for pre-order at some retail locations now and will go on sale on Dec. 18. Pricing has yet to be announced for the HD-DVD and Blu-ray versions.

Join our discussion on this topic