With ‘Blade Runner 2049’ now entering post-production, we can at last expect to start getting more and more looks at the film as it takes shape. This began a few days ago, with the release of a two minute teaser and an official synopsis of the film. These reveals continued today with a series of still images and an unrelated interview with the film’s director.
Released by Entertainment Weekly, there are seven stills in total, plus the cover of the upcoming issue in which they are set to be published alongside a story focused on the film. The stills themselves showcase the film’s cast (primarily stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford) and crew, along with the environments they find themselves in, many of which have echoes of the original ‘Blade Runner’. The stills are included below:
In addition to the stills, Denis Villeneuve has also shared some exciting teases in a conversation with Screen Daily. First, the director acknowledged that he is aiming for an R-rating, saying “My producers are finding it fun to remind me that it will be one of the most expensive R-rated independent feature films ever made.” He then went on to offer his thoughts on CGI and the approach he has taken to the film’s visual effects:
“I can count on my fingers the amount of times we put a green screen on set. Most of the movie was done on camera, me and [cinematographer] Roger Deakins worked very hard to do it that way.
My actors were not walking on green screens all day long. CGI is a strong tool for backgrounds and extensions but what is around the actors needs to be as real as possible. When I watch a movie that’s mostly CGI, I’m disengaged.”
He also went on to suggest that a second ‘Blade Runner’ sequel might also be in the cards, though “we’ll see how this one goes.” This is hardly surprising, given the zeal with which the major studios are trying to cultivate franchises, but it may also be a cause for concern considering both the status of ‘Blade Runner’ as a beloved classic and the fact that it took thirty years just to get this first sequel into production.
From the official summary:
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, 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, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is currently scheduled for release on October 6, 2017. The film’s cast includes Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Robin Wright, Dave Bautista, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, and Sylvia Hoeks.
