Film buffs are aghast at news that Alcon Entertainment, a Hollywood production company, is nearing a deal to make a prequel or sequel to Blade Runner. Ridley Scott's seminal 1982 film, based loosely on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, starred Harrison Ford as a Los Angeles police officer hunting down "replicants," or robots that are indistinguishable from humans. The movie was a box-office disappointment, grossing less than $28 million. But over the years it has become an influential part of the science-fiction canon. Now Alcon, which produced The Book of Eli and Insomnia, is buying partial rights that would allow it to release related products and movies, but not a remake of the original. Some are calling the idea "unnecessary nonsense." Does Blade Runner need a spin-off?
No! No! A thousand times no! The only way this could be worse is if they cast Shia LeBeouf, or bring in Gwyneth Paltrow to sing, says Emma Rowley at Indie Movies Online. Actually, on second thought, this idea could not possibly be "more grisly." Some films don't need spin-offs, and this is one of them.
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