Jared Leto boards ‘Blade Runner’ sequel

Oscar victor Jared Leto is rounding out the cast of director Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner” sequel.

The sequel is set several decades after the 1982 original, with Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role as Rick Deckard. “He is a phenomenal actor, and we know he will create a truly memorable, never-before-seen character”, the duo said in a press release.

Actor Jared Leto is set to appear in the upcoming sci-fi thriller, joining a cast that already includes fellow A-Listers Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, Variety reports.

The follow-up is now untitled, but is poised to be released on October 6, 2017 so I’m sure we’ll hear more sooner rather than later as filming gets underway.

Warner Bros.is handling domestic distribution, while Sony is taking on worldwide distribution. Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) will direct from a script written by Hampton Fancher, co-writer of the original, and Michael Green, who is also working on Scott’s forthcoming Prometheus sequel.

Villeneuve began filming the movie last month in Budapest. Cynthia Sikes Yorkin will produce along with Johnson and Kosove. Bud Yorkin will receive producer credit. Ridley Scott and Bill Carraro will also executive produce.

Leto, who is repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment, was most recently seen as the Joker in Suicide Squad.

Leto won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his devastating performance in Dallas Buyers Club.