'Blade Runner' Sequel Release Date Pushed: When Will Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard Return?

After returning to his iconic Han Solo character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year, Harrison Ford is revisiting another of his classic roles: Rick Deckard, from Ridley Scott's sci-fi Blade Runner. Co-starring Ryan Gosling, the film was scheduled for an early 2018 release date, but it was just moved -- what does this mean?

According to Variety, the still-untitled Blade Runner sequel, which will be directed by Sicario filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, has just been moved up three months, from January 2018 to October 2017. Little is known at this point regarding the film other than the fact that it's set several decades after the original, but the move to change its release date could mean producing studio Alcon Entertainment has big hopes for the movie.

With its previous release date, the film would have been the sole big movie in a usually fairly bland spot, which bigger movies don't usually get. The change to have it released in the late year could potentially meant the studio wants to turn the movie into an awards contender.

It would be a strange move for a science fiction sequel, but considering the success of The Martian, the most recent Scott production that earned seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor, there's a chance the studio's riding on the previous success.

According to GameSpot, production for the Blade Runner sequel is scheduled to begin in July. Aside from Ford coming back to the role and Gosling as a mysterious new character, there have been a few other additions to the cast, including House of Cards actress Robin Wright and Guardians of the Galaxy alum Dave Bautista.

There's no information regarding any of the characters aside from Ford's, and it's unclear what the film's story will be.

Blade Runner 2 will hit theaters on Oct. 6, 2017.