Hey U Guys

Blade Runner, based on author Philip K. Dick’s story ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ was released less than four months after the author’s death. It has been hailed as the greatest sci-fi film of all time by many, and it continues to influence the genre.

Since Blade Runner Hollywood has repeatedly used Dick’s work as a source of inspiration, leading to films like Total Recall (based on the short story ‘We Can Remember It for You Wholesale’) and Minority Report.

 

Although we can only guess what Dick thought about Paycheck or Screamers a letter, sent by Dick to The Ladd Company sheds some light on his views on the adaptation that started it all*.

The letter, which has been transcribed by Sean at the Letters of Note blog, was written by Dick after watching a feature about the film on ‘Hooray For Hollywood’. It is extraordinarily prescient of the impact of the film:

“I came to the conclusion that this indeed is not science fiction; it is not fantasy; it is exactly what Harrison said: futurism. The impact of BLADE RUNNER is simply going to be overwhelming, both on the public and on creative people -- and, I believe, on science fiction as a field.”

He also criticises the “steadily deteriorating” state of science fiction, describing it as having “become inbred, derivative, stale”.

At the end of the letter Dick explains “My life and creative work are justified and completed by BLADE RUNNER”. Five months later, he was dead.

Thanks to ScyFi Love for the tip-off.

*Yes I know that one of his stories was adapted in the early sixties, but it was for a sci-fi anthology series, so it doesn’t really count.