Two of the most iconic films of the last century are without a doubt Alien and Blade Runner, both of which were directed and brought to life by a young Ridley Scott. The films have since grown into hugely popular and landmark movies with a variety of sequels to their names, but this is something that Scott was never aware of once he got the originals out the door.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Scott states, “I was slow out the starting gate. I mean, I should have done the sequels to ‘Alien’ and to ‘Blade Runner.’ You change over the years. At that time, I didn’t want to go through it again. So Jim Cameron came in—and then David Fincher—on ‘Alien.'”
Scott has claimed that he was never told about sequels and additional works following up to these movies being in development.
“I’m the author of two franchises. Most directors in Hollywood — certainly, let’s say, at my level — don’t let that stuff go. But I did ‘Alien’ as my second movie, so I didn’t have much choice. And ‘Blade Runner’ was my third movie. So, I had no choice because I had very tough partners. It was kind of ‘Welcome to Hollywood.’ I was never told or asked [about sequels]. You can imagine I wasn’t happy.”
Scott has since said that Denis Villeneuve did a good job with Blade Runner 2049 but that he “was regretful” he didn’t take point on the project himself.
Would you have liked to see Scott direct the Alien and Blade Runner sequels instead of Cameron and Villenueve?