Let’s catch up: the highly anticipated and/or contentious sequel Blade Runner 2049 releases October 6th, now with a brand new poster to show for it!
This will break the world. Here’s the new US poster for #BladeRunner2049. pic.twitter.com/iWnmv5pzbN
— #BladeRunner 2049 (@bladerunner) August 24, 2017
Burgeoning director du jour Denis Villeneuve helms this sequel, which counts a number of co-conspirators in its ranks, including original director Ridley Scott as executive producer, as well as screenwriter Hampton Fancher.
I have an intensely personal relationship to, and fondness for, the original Blade Runner, from its smoky, neon-blasted-noir backdrop, to its sparse but ruminative plot workings, to the weird intimacy of its performances. It’s a storied, iconic, evergreen film, dignified in its art design, and loaded with dark mysteries on both sides of the screen. As a kid, it was one of the first open-ended films I’d ever seen, and I’d be confident enough to say that I know the entire script by heart; to be fair, this is not a tremendous ask, as it runs significantly less than 6,000 words.
At least, in this generation of obligatory remakes, Blade Runner 2049 is a specifically stated sequel, with a story occurring 30 years after the original. Although he first emerged as a surprise inclusion in early trailers, Harrison Ford reprising his role of Rick Deckard is now positioned neck-and-neck with lead actor Ryan Gosling (keep in mind that this might be a mislead, as earlier reports indicated Ford’s screen-time as minimal). In addition, the colors in the poster—a sort of dusky amber and an icy teal—distinguish the four actors, almost color-coding them: Gosling, Jared Leto, and Ana de Armas are saturated in the former, Ford alone in the latter. Interestingly, this is in contrast to the posters released in May, which swapped these identifying colors for the two leads.
I’m tremendously excited for this film, though I expect a lot out of it. Villeneuve has had an incredible run as a director, and trailers imply that the crucial aesthetic qualities of the sci-fi classic have been effectively attempted, which speaks highly of Roger Deakins’ return as Villeneuve’s cinematographer. The question remains of how much of the film will take place in the steamy, buzzy streets and locked-down ziggurats of 2049 LA versus the wasteland-like environs where Deckard has apparently sequestered himself.
In a month and a half, most of our questions will be answered. For now, take another look at the most recent trailer:
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Production Details below:
In 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX on October 6th
(Warner Bros/ Alcon Entertainment)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writer: Screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, Story by Hampton Fancher,
based on characters from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick,
Producers: Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Bud Yorkin, Cynthia Yorkin
Executive Producers: Ridley Scott, Tim Gamble, Frank Giustra, Yale Badick, Val Hill, Bill Carraro
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, with Dave Bautista and Jared Leto
Sci Fi Thriller: Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
#BladeRunner2049
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