It's time for you to come out of retirement, Replicant!

A special edition release of Blade Runner is finally going to hit DVD sometime next year! From The Digital Bits:

"Then next year, just in time for the film's 25th anniversary, Ridley Scott's ultimate Blade Runner: The Final Cut will hit theaters for a limited run. This will be a REAL director's cut, with restored scenes and more - all the stuff that Ridley's always wanted to do with the film but hasn't really been given the chance to do before. That will be followed later in the year by an Ultimate Blade Runner DVD release. You can expect a multi-disc box set (again, likely with a simultaneous HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc release) that will contain at least four different versions of the film... ALL in full anamorphic widescreen, we might add. You'll get the film's original U.S. theatrical cut, you'll get the expanded international theatrical cut, you'll get the 1992 Director's Cut and you'll get the new Final Cut as well. Now... we realize at this point, you may have questions. Keep in mind, there's a TON of additional material that's going to be included in this set that hasn't been announced and can't be talked about yet - all-new material that you've never seen before."

Blade Runner is a film I didn't initially care for, but it's one that stuck in my head nonetheless, and my appreciation and enjoyment of the film grew with each subsequent viewing to the point where I consider it one of my favourite sci-fi films. It's an absolute classic and worth your time. I was fortunate enough to catch the Director's Cut on the big screen a few years back, and it was just spectacular. I can't wait to see it cleaned up on DVD, and am curious as to how Scott's 'Final Cut' (the previous 'Director's Cut' apparently didn't have much to do with the director!) will turn out.

The DVD set is in the good hands of Charles de Lauzirika, the man responsible for the Alien Quadrilogy boxset, which was brilliant and absolutely comprehensive (except for the whole Alien 3 thing with David Fincher, but hey, can't blame the DVD producer for that). He also produced the special edition DVDs for Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, and Kingdom of Heaven, which are meant to be among the finest DVD releases available. Can... not... wait!