Before Harrison Ford Was Cast in “Blade Runner”, Director Ridley Scott Was Asked 'Who the F---' He Was

While he may be a household name now, Harrison Ford was once such an unknown that financiers questioned who he even was when he was cast as Rick Deckard in the 1982 film Blade Runner.

In a new retrospective interview for GQ magazine, filmmaker Ridley Scott said he had to convince those funding his film that Ford was a good choice as the leading man.

Ford had already appeared in big films at the time of Bladerunner's casting — including as Han Solo in 1977's Star Wars and as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 — but according to Scott, he was not yet "a star."

“He had just finished flying the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars,” the director told GQ. “I remember my financiers saying, ‘Who the f--- is Harrison Ford?’ And I said, ‘You’re going to find out.’ So Harry became my leading man.”

Related: Ridley Scott Admits He Regrets Turning Down 'Blade Runner' Sequel to Direct 'Alien: Covenant'

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During a 2023 interview with Empire, Scott said that he "should have" signed on to direct Blade Runner 2049 — the 2017 sequel to his 1982 sci-fi cult classic — instead of making a different creative choice.

“I shouldn’t have had to make that decision,” said Scott at the time. “But I had to. I should have done Blade Runner 2.”

Instead, Scott made Alien: Covenant, a sequel to his 2012 film Prometheus. 

Blade Runner 2049  saw the return of Ford as Rick Deckard, and also starred Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas and Jared Leto, among others. It was ultimately directed by Denis Villeneuve (Dune).

Scott is set to executive produce the upcoming Prime Video series Blade Runner 2099.

In an earlier statement, Amazon Studios' head of global television Vernon Sanders said of the project: "The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers."

“We are honored to be able to present this continuation of the Blade Runner franchise, and are confident that by teaming up with Ridley, Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and the remarkably talented Silka Luisa, Blade Runner 2099 will uphold the intellect, themes, and spirit of its film predecessors," Sanders added.

Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh is set to star in the series.

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