By Paul M. Sammon

Dey Street Books, out now

Paul M Sammon’s seminal work on the making of Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi noir gets a timely re-release in this revised and updated edition.

If you’re a fan of Blade Runner then it’s likely this book is already on your bookshelf, it being the Blade Runner Bible, and your question is less likely to be ‘Is it any good?’ as ‘What’s new?’

While much analysis has been made of what themes the movie has, the nature of Deckard’s humanity, etc, no one else has tried to write a book on the movie that covers so much of the production and legacy. Key cast members are interviewed and every aspect of its production is chronicled. If you don’t already own it, this is a must-buy. So, what’s in the new edition?

This third edition (the second, 2007 edition, was released as a hardback in the UK) includes the longest textual interview Harrison Ford has ever committed to on the film, while Rutger Hauer and Sean Young go deep, recalling their experiences pre, during and post release. The interview with Young is particularly fascinating, bravely addressing her ‘hard to work with’ reputation.

There’s a decent chapter on The Final Cut, looking at how additional scenes were filmed and inserted to create Ridley Scott’s definitive version, as well as a short chapter looking at the chronology of the road to Blade Runner 2049, sharing snippets around the business deals and hoops that had to be jumped through to make the sequel happen. Unfortunately, such is the nature of book production, the author still hadn’t seen the sequel as the book went to press.

A casualty in this expanded edition, which still clocks in at 600 pages, is that some of the original content has had to be edited down or excised to allow this new edition to be commercially viable. Which does of course mean you have to hold on to your previous edition(s) if you want the full story. Sammon promises that the ‘missing’ pages will eventually appear as online content.

Verdict: Paul Sammon was commissioned to write a double-issue of Cinefantastique a year before principal photography began on Blade Runner, and has been with it ever since. Read this book, tweaked and embellished for Blade Runner 2049, and you’ll have read things people wouldn’t believe. 9/10

Nick Joy