Fresh off of the success of Arrival, director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) is firing back this year with Blade Runner 2049, the long-awaited follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Warner Bros. is unleashing this 35 years later sequel this fall and they have packed it with talent from top to bottom. Has it paid off? It sure looks like it…
As with the original film, the visuals here are strikingly beautiful. This trailer carries over the moodiness of the teaser, while also giving us a better look at its characters, chiefly those played by Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, and a returning Harrison Ford. We’re also given glimpses of the parts that include Robin Wright, Dave Bautista, and a few others have to play in the film.
We’ve never known much about the film’s plot and that doesn’t change much after this trailer. Leto’s character, Wallace, appears to be a more sinister riff on Dr. Elden Tyrell and may well be the film’s chief antagonist. Robin Wright seems to be someone of authority, possibly Gosling’s boss. The story seems to center on the search for something more than just Deckard or runaway replicants, which is encouraging. Even with Villeneuve and a great cast, I was feared that the narrative might be little more than a rehash with a new coat of paint. Thankfully, my fear appears to have been unfounded. I very much like what I’m seeing here. In Villeneuve I trust!
Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel to 1982’s Blade Runner. It is directed by Denis Villeneuve, from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. The picture is produced by Ridley Scott, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Bud Yorkin, and Cynthia Yorkin. The film stars Ryan Gosling as ‘K’, Harrison Ford as ‘Rick Deckard’, Ana de Armas as ‘Joi’, Jared Leto as ‘Wallace’, and Edward James Olmos as ‘Gaff’. Robin Wright, Dave Bautista, Lennie James, Mackenzie Davis, Hiam Abbass, Sylvia Hoecks, David Dastmalchian, and Carla Juri also star.
Blade Runner 2049 arrives in theaters on October 6th, 2017.
