Collider was lucky enough to exclusively premiere the first of three tie-in short films to help lead up to ‘Blade Runner 2049’, the first of which is titled ‘2036: Nexus Dawn’ and was directed by Ridley Scott’s own son, Luke Scott (‘Morgan’).
The short stars Benedict Wong and Jared Leto, whose character Niander Wallace will also play a major role in ‘Blade Runner: 2049.’ For those unaware, it was heavily hinted back at Comic-Con that in the world of ‘Blade Runner,’ there was a massive EMP in 2022 that hit the United States that originated somewhere on the West Coast. The cause was blamed on replicants and therefore replicants were banned, leading to a kind of prohibition on the robots following “the great blackout.” The new short has Niander Wallace trying to end that prohibition with the introduction of his new line of “perfected” replicants, the Nexus 9, who are far more obedient and able to be controlled – which he demonstrates as he forces the replicant accompanying him to slash its own throat rather than hurt him. According to the timeline released at Comic Con, Wallace did indeed succeed in convincing Wong’s character to change the laws regarding replicants because in 2036 the ban was lifted.
It is fun to see the depths of the backstory for the new film, and to know the world continued to spin in the years between the original ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Blade Runner 2049.’ I hope that all of this ties in nicely to the plot of the new movie. Jared Leto seems to fit very well in the world of ‘Blade Runner,’ at least in this short, and I am very intrigued by what Denis Villeneuve will do with the actor and his character, and what this new generation of replicants represents in the story, and how exactly this blackout is tied back to Deckard, who you know was somehow involved, especially since the EMP originated on the West Coast.
Check out the new short for yourself and make sure to share your thoughts and theories in the comments below!
