A new life awaits you ...

When Alcon Entertainment acquired the film, television, and ancillary franchise rights to produce prequels and sequels to the iconic 1982 science-fiction thriller Blade Runner, this, of course,  created quite a stir amongst fans of the film.

Alcon’s franchise rights would be all-inclusive, but exclude rights to remake the original. The Company, however, may produce projects based on situations introduced in the original film. The project would be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. International rights are yet to be determined.

Alcon Entertainment has stated: "We are honored and excited to be in business with Bud Yorkin. This is a major acquisition for our company, and a personal favorite film for both of us. We recognize the responsibility we have to do justice to the memory of the original with any prequel or sequel we produce. We have long-term goals for the franchise, and are exploring multi-platform concepts, not just limiting ourselves to one medium only."

This offers a unique and limitless opportunity to explore the many possibilities for collaborations -- officially and legally -- between Alcon Entertainment and the many artists that have been inspired by this film.

The intersection of stage and film — the future of entertainment?

In an article written by Chris Conrad of the Mail Tribune, he writes how the film-to-stage experiment intrigues him. He mentioned a few movies that critics already consider "stagey", and then threw in his own picks. Among his picks was Blade Runner.

The columnist wrote, "My heart would swell and burst if some intrepid director could bring Blade Runner to the stage." He’s certainly passionate about his conviction in wanting this "science-fiction stage show".

And, I must say–personally–I think it would be an awesome endeavour. If done cleverly, it could very well be the next best thing. Of course, there will be those against such an idea, just as there are those against a remake, sequel or prequel. But this would be different.

I was fortunate enough to be involved in a project that came close to the idea of bringing Blade Runner to the stage. I wrote lyrics to the splendidly crafted music of Marco Spatuzzi. And it was performed live, alongside the movie Blade Runner, in a production titled Blade Runner: The Rock Project.

Looking at some of the movies or television programs that have been adapted to musicals on Broadway might give you an idea of the possible success such a venture could have. Just to name a few; Little Shop of Horrors, The Producers, and The Addams Family.

Is it the future of entertainment? For live entertainment, it certainly can be.

All the stage is an Off-world

Bringing Blade Runner to the musical stage would not only deliver this epic story to a new audience, but it would also complement the Blade Runner franchise with class -- Broadway style.