Ridley Scott Wishes He Had Been Able To Direct Sequels To ‘Alien’ & ‘Blade Runner’: “I Had No Choice”
Ridley Scott 20th Century Fox Film Corp. / Borja B. Hojas / WireImage / Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Ridley Scott is looking back at his filmmaking career and wishes he had been able to direct the sequels to Alien and Blade Runner.
In a new interview, Scott explained why he was not directly involved with follow-up films to the franchises he established.
“I’m the author of two franchises. Most directors in Hollywood—certainly, let’s say, at my level—don’t let that stuff go,” Scott told Vanity Fair.
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He continued, “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.'”
The original Alien film was released in 1979, and the sequel Aliens was released in 1986, with James Cameron taking over as director. Scott directed 1982’s Blade Runner, and Denis Villeneuve got director duties for 2017’s Blade Runner 2049.
Scott noted he “was never told or asked” about directing sequels to his films, adding, “You can imagine I wasn’t happy.”
“I was slow out the starting gate,” Scott said. “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.”
Learning from the past, Scott didn’t let another one of his films get a sequel without him at the helm. Scott directed the Gladiator sequel set for release on November 22. Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Joseph Quinn, and Denzel Washington are set to star in Gladiator II.