With the long-rumored "Blade Runner" sequel finally moving ahead, we still have very little information as to what director Ridley Scott and his cohorts are cooking up for the follow-up to the 1982 film landmark.

First, there was the news that original "Blade Runner" screenwriter Hampton Fancher was reuniting with Scott to develop a new screenplay, which will take place several years after the events of the first film.

Later, in an interview with The Daily Beast, the director revealed an interesting tidbit about the sequel's hero. "I started my first meetings on the 'Blade Runner' sequel last week, he said. "We have a very good take on it. And we’ll definitely be featuring a female protagonist."

That likely means that Harrison Ford, who had a notoriously difficult time on the first film, won't be returning.

The 1982 original -- loosely based on Philip K. Dick's cult SF novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" -- starred Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer and, as the high-kicking, heavily made-up punkish Pris, Daryl Hannah (pictured). The future noir followed an ace "Blade Runner" named Deckard (Ford), who is brought out of retirement to track down and destroy several rogue androids known as "replicants." Scott re-cut the film several times, with his "final" cut ending on a somewhat ambiguous note.

Several of Scott's films in the past have featured strong female protagonists -- notably "Thelma & Louise," "GI Jane" and, of course, 1979's "Alien." The latter is the inspiration for his upcoming film, the quasi-prequel "Prometheus," which features Charlize Theron and Noomi Rapace.