Producer Updates Blade Runner 2, Hong Kong Phooey and the Point Break Remake
Posted 12.29.11 by Ryan
After purchasing the rights to Blade Runner in March for the express intent of "producing prequels and sequels," Alcon Entertainment producer Andrew Kosove (The Blind Side) revealed in August that Alcon had achieved their "Plan A." The production company has brought director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) on board to helm a sequel to his 1982 sci-fi classic after finishing Prometheus, a quasi-prequel to Scott's other sci-fi classic, 1979's Alien.
In a recent interview with The Playlist, Kosove updated progress on the Blade Runner sequel, revealing that the project is "is moving forward aggressively."
Here's the thing about Ridley. Ridley is a special guy. He's a force of nature. He's got a lot of stuff that he's working on. I believe it's an extremely high priority for Ridley, that's what he's said to me. This project is moving forward aggressively in development.
Sometime in the first two months of the new year we'll announce who the screenwriter will be and whether or not it's a prequel or sequel. And then we'll be off to the races.
The Blade Runner sequel isn't the only project Kosove is currently working on. Alcon is also producing the remake of 1991's Point Break, which is reportedly set in the world of international extreme sports this time. Kosove says that "surfing is a part" of the new Point Break, but that they are hoping "to make it fresh" (an interesting choice of words considering the movie is a remake).
It's not a literal remake of the original the way Footloose was — it was identical to the original film. [Our Point Break] has got elements of the original and it's not just surfing, it's other kinds of extreme sports, but surfing is very, very prominent in the story.
Point Break was written by Salt screenwriter Kurt Wimmer, but no director is currently attached. According to Kosove, that could change fast. "We're out to a director now, so if it were to go in that direction, it'd be a big announcement," said Kosove. "We have someone who we think is the perfect filmmaker. I'd be very surprised if we weren't in pre-production in 2012."
Another project in the works is the big-screen version of the Hanna-Barbera animated TV series Hong Kong Phooey, which will feature Eddie Murphy. The comedian will provide the voice of Penry, a dog who is granted mystical powers that allow him to walk, talk, and do kung fu (the late Scatman Crothers performed the voice in the 1970s cartoon).
A mix of animation and live action, Kosove says that Hong Kong Phooey will be like the Alvin and the Chipmunk franchise, which recently released its third installment, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. "The technology has really improved immensely and we've done a new test with the Phooey character and we're really excited," said Kosove, who says that Phooey will shoot late next year for release in 2013.
With no screenwriter chosen for the Blade Runner sequel, it's doubtful that the project will join Point Break and Hong Kong Phooey in either pre-production of production next year, but that could change once a screenwriter is finally announced.