Denis Villeneuve to direct ‘Blade Runner’ sequel; Harrison Ford back

The long-awaited sequel to “Blade Runner” appears to have found its director and nailed down its star.

Denis Villeneuve, the French Canadian filmmaker of such brooding dramas as “Incendies” and “Prisoners,” is in negotiations to direct the yet-untitled follow-up to the 1982 sci-fi classic, with Harrison Ford set to reprise his role as replicant-hunting cop Rick Deckard.

Alcon Entertainment chiefs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson announced the news Thursday.

“We are honored that Harrison is joining us on this journey with Denis Villeneuve, who is a singular talent, as we experienced personally on ‘Prisoners,’” Kosove and Johnson said in the announcement.

Plot details have yet to be released about the “Blade Runner” sequel, except that it is set several decades after the original. The screenplay was written by “Blade Runner” co-writer Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, based on an idea by Fancher and Ridely Scott.

Scott directed the original film, which is based on the 1968 Philip K. Dick novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,” and he’s executive producing this time around.

Alcon acquired rights to the “Blade Runner” franchise in 2011 with the intent to produce sequels and prequels to the groundbreaking film. Kosove and Johnson publicly wooed Ford to return last May.

The “Blade Runner” sequel will mark Ford’s second reprise of one of his classic roles after a decades-long hiatus. He’s also playing Han Solo in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

The “Blade Runner” sequel is scheduled to begin production in summer 2016.

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