2012–present
In 2012, Scott produced the commercial for
Lady Gaga's fragrance, "
Fame." It was touted as the first ever black Eau de Parfum, in the informal credits attached to the trailer for this advertisement. On 24 June 2013, Scott's series
Crimes of the Century debuted on
CNN.
[70] In November 2012 it was announced that Scott would produce the documentary,
Springsteen & I directed by
Baillie Walsh and inspired by
Life in a Day, which Scott also produced. The film featured fan footage from throughout the world on what musician
Bruce Springsteen meant to them and how he impacted their lives.
[71] The film was released for one day only in 50 countries and on over 2000 film screens on 22 July 2013.
[71]
Scott directed
The Counselor (2013), with a screenplay by author
Cormac McCarthy.
[72][73] On 25 October 2013,
Indiewire reported that "Before McCarthy sold his first spec script for Scott's (
Counselor) film, the director was heavily involved in developing an adaptation of the author's 1985 novel
Blood Meridian with screenwriter
Bill Monahan (
The Departed). But as Scott said in a
Time Out interview, '[Studios] didn't want to make it. The book is so uncompromising, which is what's great about it.' Described as an 'anti-western'..."
[74] Scott directed the
biblically-inspired epic film Exodus: Gods and Kings, released in December 2014 which received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics while earning $268 million on a $140 million budget. Filmed at
Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the film starred
Christian Bale in the lead role.
[75]
Scott participates in a question and answer session about NASA’s journey to Mars and his film
The Martian, 18 August 2015
In May 2014, Scott began negotiations to direct
The Martian, starring
Matt Damon as Mark Watney.
[76] Like many of Scott's previous works,
The Martian features a heroine in the form of
Jessica Chastain's character who is the mission commander.
[77] The film was originally scheduled for release on 25 November 2015, but Fox later switched its release date with that of
Victor Frankenstein, and thus
The Martianwas released on 2 October 2015.
[78][79] The Martian was a critical and commercial success, grossed over $630 million worldwide, becoming Scott's highest-grossing film to date.
A sequel to
Prometheus,
Alien: Covenant, started filming in 2016, premiered in London on 4 May 2017, and received general release on 19 May 2017.
[83] The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising
Michael Fassbender's dual performance and calling the film a return to form for both director Ridley Scott and the franchise.
In August 2011, information leaked about production of a
sequel to
Blade Runner by
Alcon Entertainment, with Alcon partners
Broderick Johnson and
Andrew Kosove.
[86] Scott informed the
Variety publication in November 2014 that he was no longer the director for the film and would only fulfill a producer's role. Scott also revealed that filming would begin sometime within 2015, and that
Harrison Ford has signed on to reprise his role from the original film but his character should only appear in "the third act" of the sequel.
[87] On 26 February 2015, the sequel was officially confirmed, with
Denis Villeneuve hired to direct the film, and Scott being an executive producer.
[88] The sequel,
Blade Runner 2049, was released on 6 October 2017.
[89]
From May to August 2017, Scott filmed
All the Money in the World, a drama about the kidnapping of
John Paul Getty III, starring
Mark Wahlberg and
Michelle Williams.
[90][91] Kevin Spacey originally portrayed Getty Sr. However, after multiple sexual assault allegations against the actor, Scott made the decision to replace him with
Christopher Plummer, saying "You can't condone that kind of behaviour in any shape or form. We cannot let one person's action affect the good work of all these other people. It's that simple."
[92] Scott began re-shooting Spacey's scenes with Plummer on 20 November, which included filming at
Elveden Hall in west Suffolk, England.
[92] With a release date of 25 December 2017, the film studio had its doubts that Scott would manage it, saying: "They were like, 'You'll never do it. God be with you.'"