EDGE OF HUMAN
FORD. GOSLING. VILLENEUVE. THE FUTURE IS NOW IN LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL BLADE RUNNER 2049. JOSH WINNING TRIES TO FIGURE OUT WHO’S A REPLICANT...
This world is different to the one we knew. Bigger, bleaker. it’s California in 2049 and, although we’ve been here before, things aren’t the way they were. “the ecosystem collapsed,” explains denis Villeneuve, introducing us to the world of Blade Runner 2049. “there was a shift in the climate that brought things like snow to los Angeles. it’s much more harsh weather conditions. the environment is more toxic.”
snowstorms in a Blade Runner movie? You’d be forgiven for assuming this is the thinking of a short-circuiting replicant, but freak weather is just the tip of the iceberg with Villeneuve’s hugely anticipated follow-up to the 1982 sci-fi classic. in an age when storytelling canvases are getting bigger by the blockbuster, his sequel is all about going beyond the established boundaries, exploring uncharted territory. shooting, if you will, for the stars.
“i like to think that the first movie was shot in a specific neighbourhood in los Angeles,” Villeneuve reveals, “and this story allowed us to go into the periphery, to get out of that neighbourhood to see other aspects of los Angeles in the future... [the harsher conditions] are reflected in the architecture. we redesigned the city, and we re-approached the surroundings.”
it makes sense for a sequel to freshen up the environments first introduced by ridley scott in the ’80s. scott’s film, infused with eastern culture, its lA streets cramped and neonmisted, has become a defining entry in the genre. Much-imitated and respected (not to mention tinkered with, by scott himself, throughout numerous revisions), his visions of a futuristic 2019 have left their mark on everything from Ghost In The Shell to Battlestar Galactica.
Clearly, if Villeneuve was going to continue the story, he’d need to shake things up. As the
i’m in love with the first movie so making a sequel wasn’t an easy decision
oscar-nominated director of Arrival, he had form in sci-fi, but it wasn’t an easy decision to sign on to a sequel to one of his favourite films, especially one that had been in development hell for over two decades. word of a Blade Runner sequel first circulated in 1999, with
Blade Runner Down, a script written by stuart hazeldine, based on Kw Jeter’s novel The
Edge Of Human. rights problems shut it down. then, in 2009, ridley and tony scott were reportedly working on a prequel series,
Purefold, that would consist of five- to ten-minute online shorts. in the end, that didn’t happen either.
later, Christopher nolan’s name was mentioned. harrison ford was reportedly out. Years went by as ridley scott and co attempted to “break the back of the story” before, finally, Villeneuve signed on to the film in february 2015, having fallen in love with the script by hampton fancher (co-writer of the original) and Michael Green, which was based on an idea by fancher and ridley scott.
“i was dreaming of doing a sci-fi movie of this scope,” Villeneuve says. “i was saying to myself, ‘if i have to do it, let’s do it with a project that is meaningful and has a strong screenplay, and that i deeply believe in.’ i’m so compelled by the story, but i’m also in love with the first movie. it was not an easy decision. it took me a while before i said yes. it was a long time they waited for me.”
it helped that, after meeting with scott, Villeneuve received the auteur’s seal of approval. “ridley was very graceful and kind to me,” he says. “he gave me advice, and described to me the process he had done when he made the first movie, and what were the challenges and sources of inspiration, and how he came to create the first
Blade Runner.” with scott’s blessing, though, came great responsibility. “there was pressure knowing that he’ll be watching the movie. i was thinking about him. every time i had to make an artistic decision, i felt his presence as a source of inspiration.”
new blades
new world, new director, new hero. set 30 years after the first film, Blade Runner 2049 centres on K (ryan Gosling), an lAPd officer who we meet on an average day on the beat. “K is sent to retire a rogue replicant,” says Gosling. “And he uncovers a mystery that ultimately makes him and the audience question everything they thought they knew.” so far so enigmatic. in a project shrouded with mystery, little more is known about the film’s plot beyond the broad strokes, although we do know that K has back-up in the form of Joi, played by Cuban actress Ana de Armas (Knock, Knock). “she’s very in love with this man,” Armas says. “she’s his best friend and lover. she’s there to support him. she encourages him to go to work and do what he needs to do.” like Villeneuve, Gosling was a fan of the original, having first watched Blade Runner aged 14, roughly a decade after it was released in cinemas. “i realised just how influential it had been on