OSCAR-NOMINATED DIRECTOR and producer Ridley Scott – the man behind Blade Runner, Gladiator, Alien and Thelma & Louise – is to shoot six low-budget films in Northern Ireland.

Scott and Scott Free London are to partner with Orchard Media and Focus Features International for the project, Northern Ireland Screen has announced. Over three years, Scott will executive produce and present six low-budget genre films.

They will mainly be focused on horror, science fiction, and thriller and will be made in association with Northern Ireland Screen, the organisation said, primarily being shot in Northern Ireland using resident crew, cast and staff.

Ridley Scott said:

Our target is to create a structure that enables filmmakers to push boundaries and to excite audiences. Our proposed model of filmmaking allows us to give directors the opportunity to really innovate through narrative, production techniques and distribution strategies.

Ridley Scott Presents is funded through the Northern Ireland Screen Fund supported by Invest NI and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Scott Free Productions is a film and television production company formed by Scott and his late brother Tony Scott, who took his own life earlier this year.