UPDATE: We’ve added the official press release after the jump.

Briefly: Deadline is reporting that Ridley Scott will direct and produce a new installment of Blade Runner. They’re not sure if it’s a prequel or sequel. Read more after the jump.

Back in March, Alcon Entertainment acquired the rights to make films in the Blade Runner universe. Those rights did not allow them to remake Scott’s 1982 film, just make films around it, i.e. prequels or sequels. At the time, the filmmakers hadn’t talked to Ridley Scott about their plans but that has obviously changed. Here’s what they said at the time.

The ‘Blade Runner’ lore is kind of irresistible… And the extraordinary pace of technological advancement since the movie came out means that there are a lot of opportunities to do something fresh… The risk is not just getting a movie made but coming up with a story that really justifies coming back one to one of the great science-fiction stories.

Obviously, that’s happened. And one has to assume Scott’s experience in revisiting his classi film Alien, through the semi-prequel Prometheus, has probably left him with the confidence and good will to jump back into futuristic Los Angeles. One thing is for sure, the world of Blade Runner could look great in 3D and Scott has said he would never work without 3D again.

According to Deadline, there’s no news on which way the story will go, be it a prequel or a sequel, and that means no word if Harrison Ford will be back. While doing press for Cowboys & Aliens, Ford did a few interviews where he showed awareness of this project so maybe he’s been contacted. Many of these answers will certainly come with the hiring of a screenwriter. Prometheus, as we all know, started as a legitimate Alien prequel and then developed into sort of an Alien influenced side story of sorts.

This is incredibly huge news, don’t you agree? Are you surprised that Scott wants to return to this universe? If it was going to happen, is there anyone better? And was does this mean for the handful of other projects Scott has been actively developing?

UPDATE: Here’s the official press release on the project including a quote from the film’s producers.