Summary
If there’s one thing Hollywood loves it’s a good comeback andRidley Scotthas directed plenty of them of late. However, there’s one particular film in the director’s back catalog that deserves a second chance.
Ridley Scott is one of the film industry’s most prolific creators. Starting his career as a director of shorts and television in 1965, Scott has gained over 200 credits on IMDb and is responsible for shepherding some of cinema’s most iconic titles to the screen. The director has been knighted by royalty twice in his home country of England and is considered one of thehighest-grossing directors of all time.
Ridley Scott Is Reviving His Old Classics
While Scott has brought plenty of original ideas to the screen, some of his most prolific work has been revived in recent years.Alienis one recent example. After the franchise lay dormant for 15 years, Scott resurrected his sci-fi world in 2012’sPrometheus, a sequel set long before the events of his firstAlienmovie. Scott directed one moreAlienfilm before passing the reigns to a new director, Fede Àlvarez, to bringAlien: Romulusto life, while Scott remained a producer. TheAlienfranchise is only continuing to expand under Scott’s guidance withanAlien: Romulussequeland an FX TV show also in the works.
Not that long ago, another of Scott’s sci-fi films was brought back to life in 2017’sBlade Runner 2049. Once again, a new director came forward to inject new life into the franchise, Denis Villeneuve. However, Scott still oversaw the production as an executive producer. Similar toAlien, theBlade Runnerfranchise is in the process ofexpanding into television and video games.
Scott’s latest project is another revival of one of his cinematic icons inGladiator II.The firstGladiatorfilm scored a Best Picture win at the Academy Awards, but after decades of silence, it was assumed the film was a one-and-done. That changed when Scott returned todirect theGladiatorsequel, and it began picking up steam with a new cast. The film will be released on Jun 27, 2025, and is poised to be another commercial and critical hit. Discussions ofa thirdGladiatorfilm are already being had, marking another successful revival of one of Scott’s pivotal career films.
Looking at the director’s back catalog of work, there’s no shortage of films that could get the same revival treatment as the likes ofBlade Runner, Alien,andGladiator. Not all the filmmaker’s projects have an obvious direction for their future, but the timing might be right for one of his more underrated films to make a return.
1985
Runtime
1 hour 34 minutes
In 1985, Ridley Scott directed his first filmin the fantasy genre, titledLegend.It starred a 23-year-old Tom Cruise oppositeFerris Bueller’s Day Off’sMia Sara, andIT’sTim Curry as the villain.Legendwas an original idea of Scott’s who wanted to try his hand at a fairytale and mythology-dense story. The story saw Curry’s evil Lord of Darkness seek to create an eternal night by killing the last of the unicorns, only to be stopped by a young hero named Jack (Cruise), who was desperate to save the world and Princess Lili (Sara).
Legendcame out in the same era as fantasy films such asThe Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, andLabyrinth. It had stiff competition and was ultimately panned by critics and failed to break even at the box office. However, over the years,Legendhas been one of the fantasy genre’s most underrated films and has becomea cult classic among fans. Some of the movie’s strengths were its reliance on practical effects, with the film’s rich forest sets being practically built on a soundstage.Legend’smakeup is another of its highlights, with Scott recruitingThe Thing’sRob Bottin to design the special makeup effects for the characters, which resulted in some iconic designs, particularly for the Lord of Darkness.
Despite being overlooked by many at the time,Legendwas a formative film in the fantasy genre at the time. It also remains one of theonly fantasy films that Scott has ever directed. Fantasy is a popular genre in the 21st century thanks to franchises likeLord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Witcher,andThe Chronicles of Narnia, not to mention the immense popularity of fantasyroleplaying games likeDungeons & Dragons. Now would be the ideal time for Scott to return toLegend, whether it be as a director or a producer overseeing its revival. Scott has evidently found success in resurrecting his old projects for the modern market. The director’s wealth of experience sinceLegend’srelease in 1985 would only further guarantee the success of a reboot or sequel to the fantasy film.
