That’s right; the sequel to Ridley Scott’s science fiction masterpiece just received an official release date! When are more space-proof, overly sentimental Replicants going to return to Earth in an effort to finally live before expiring?? According to our friends at Deadline Hollywood, the Blade Runner sequel (with or without Replicants) will debut January 12th, 2018. Yup.
Who announced the sequel’s debut date? That would be Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, the co-owners and co-CEOs of Alcon Entertainment.
As previously announced, Ryan Gosling will star alongside a returning Harrison Ford; Ford will be reprising his role as Replicant hunter Rick Deckard. Why do I get the feeling this might be a futuristic Training Day analog? Hmmmm. It just might work, but only if they bring back Vangelis to score the sh*t out of this film.
Personally, I’m a little hesitant about the sequel. The first film was perfect, and ended blissfully and (nearly) succinctly, regardless of the dangling plot thread positing Deckard’s potential, bio-engineered origins.
The film was the perfect blend of cinematography, action, a contentious morality prodding us with the arguable defining of life, and a killer, environmentally reflective soundtrack. This was a “perfect storm” in cinema during the 1980s that birthed a legendary film. Could this magically spun, filmic swill actually be genuinely reproduced?? Hmm.
Well, there are a few things that might alleviate my hesitancy.
Firstly, the sequel is written by Hampton Fancher, who co-wrote the original, and Michael Green; it’s based on a story by Fancher and Ridley Scott.
Secondly, the director is Denis Villeneuve who’s responsible for 2 AMAZING films: Prisoners and Sicario. He’s also bringing his frequent collaborator, Oscar nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, along with him. So, we have a HELL of a director and an AMAZING cinematographer. They might actually pull this off.
