Lennie James is in talks to star in ‘Blade Runner 2’.
The 50-year-old British actor is set to appear alongside Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling in the sci-fi sequel, which is being directed by Denis Villeneuve and executive produced by Sir Ridley Scott who helmed the original 1982 movie.
The story, written by Hampton Fletcher and Michael Green, follows on from the dystopian cult classic which is based on the novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ by Philip K. Dick.
The exact plot details have not yet been revealed but the sequel will be set several decades after the original and picks up the tale of burnt-out special police operative Rick Deckard – played by Ford – who is tasked with hunting down a group of bioengineered androids known as replicants.
A sequel to the thriller was anticipated after Alcon Entertainment acquired the film, television and ancillary franchise rights to ‘Blade Runner’ in 2011 from the late producer Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin to produce prequels and sequels.
The new movie has a star-studded cast and joining Ford and Gosling are Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas and wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista.
Scott is joined on executive production duties by Thunderbird Films CEOs Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble plus Bill Carraro.
The other producers are Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove,
Cynthia Sikes and Bud Yorkin.
Shooting began on the project earlier this month in Budapest, Hungary, and the movie is scheduled to be released in October 2017.