GUTTER CREDIT
“I’M HAVING THE time of my life on
this, but it is insane for sure,” admits director
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), well aware of the
weight of expectations that surround a ilm as
deeply analysed, and deeply revered, as Blade
Runner. “Because it is so insane, it gives you
freedom. A lot of people on this [ilm] are
children of Blade Runner, raised with the
imagination and energy of the original, and
have been inspired by those images all our
lives.” Not to mention that the director of the
original, Ridley Scott, is a producer on Blade
Runner 2049 — and from rumours on set, a very
hands-on producer at that.
Here’s the oficial synopsis for Blade Runner
2049 : Thirty years after the events of the irst
ilm, a new blade runner, LAPD Oficer 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 ind
Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD
blade runner who has been missing for three
decades. It’s actually been 34 years since Blade
Runner came out, so Ford has thoughtfully aged
the appropriate amount to aid production.
The familiar neo-noir streets shown in the
irst trailer undeniably capture the feel of the
original, along with some astonishing shots of a
dusty future-LA. Villeneuve has brought his
semi-regular cinematographer, the great Roger
Deakins (who shot Sicario and Prisoners; he’s
also the Coen brothers’ go-to DP) for the ride, so
expect great things for the visuals. Despite
synth-god Vangelis being replaced as composer
by Villeneuve regular Jóhann Jóhannsson, the
director reassures fans that his sequel comes fully
retroitted. “There are a lot of digital effects,” he
says, “but we are trying our best to do it in the
spirit of the original.” We haven’t run a
Voight-Kampff test on him, but we’re willing to
give him the beneit of the doubt.BLADE RUNNER 2049 IS IN CINEMAS OCTOBER 5.Denis Villeneuve aims to capture
the spirit ofBlade RunnerWORDS IAN NATHANBLADES OF
GLORY