Ridley Scott looking at separate Jolie, Butler, and Portman projects

Ridley Scott, director of Alien and Blade Runner, may be taking on more than a handful of big projects for the upcoming year. Scott is currently working on wrapping up his film Prometheus, said to be a “return to the genre he helped define” with Alien and whose plot line takes place primarily in space where explorers investigate discovered alien DNA that may shed light on the origins of man.

Space, however, is not the only thing Scott is looking to return to. If you’ve followed news surrounding him in the last couple of months you may have heard he will be working on the Blade Runner ”sequel” as well, which we’ve heard (in so many words) won’t be a “replicant” or remake of the original. In fact, it won’t even have Harrison Ford in it. Measures are being taken to make this film a “reinvention” and have it stand on its own. This may be a good or bad thing for fans of the original, but with Scott directing I would guess he’ll want to do it justice. We’ll just have to wait and see what he comes up with.

You would think these projects alone are enough to keep Ridley Scott busy for a while, but surprisingly he is looking at three others as well, all biographical films. One is about a former British army officer named Simon Mann, who tried to stage a coup that failed and landed him five years in a Zimbabwe prison. This film could star my personal favorite soldier, Gerard Butler from 300.

Another in Scott’s crosshairs is a film about Gertrude Bell, a British woman who helped shape the countries of Jordan and Iraq. A strongly influential woman in her day, it seems fitting an actress such as Angelina Jolie might play the role, and that is exactly who is lined up for the film.

Space aliens, blade runners, coups, and women reshaping the world. As if that wasn’t enough for one man’s plate, there is yet another project Scott plans on filming. It’s a movie about the rocky relationship between Maurizio Gucci and his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, which could star Natalie Portman.

The question is with so many big projects on the horizon, is Ridley Scott spreading himself too thin, or will we see a string of great movies coming soon from the director? Which of these are you most excited to see him make?

Written by Heather Barnes (@heatherlbarnes)

Heather is an avid reader of the fantasy genre and has a passionate appreciation for film. Currently studying film at the University of Nebraska, she plans on becoming much more involved in the film community. She enjoys writing as well, especially for We Love Cult, and she has an almost… More »