Ridley Scott is among a select group of directors that
can be proud to say they have made films that have turned out to be considered
classics. Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982) are outstanding films, and while
the former has had a long, prosperous, and at times not so great live thanks to
its many sequels, spinoffs, and prequel, Blade Runner has always been more shy,
and only usually mentioned when using it as a measuring stick to compare other
sci-fi films.
Around the time of Prometheus, Scott announced that he
was going to turn his attention to the Blade Runner sequel once original
screenwriter Hampton Fancher was done with the script. The idea lingered for a
few extra years until he announced that he had reconsidered doing a sequel, and
had tapped Prisoners, and Enemy director Denis Villeneuve to helm the project.
While promoting his latest film Sicario at the Toronto
International Film Festival the filmmaker revealed that Blade Runner 2 is
scheduled to begin production next summer, though they haven't locked down the
locations yet. Villeneuve also spoke of working with Harrison Ford, who was
already attached to project when he came onboard.
"To be very honest with you, Harrison was part of
the project before I arrived. He was attached to the project right from the
start with Ridley. I met him and he’s honestly one of the nicest human beings
I’ve met and is one of my favorite actors of all time, so for me it’s a lot of
pleasure."
The filmmaker also addressed the pressure of tackling
such iconic material, which was based on Philip K. Dick's 1968 sci-fi novel, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
"It’s more than nervous, it’s a deep fear. I
mean when I heard that Ridley Scott wanted to do another movie in the Blade
Runner universe, at first my reaction was that it’s a
fantastic idea, but it may be a very bad idea. I’m among the hardcore fans of Blade
Runner. Blade Runner is
one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s a movie that is linked with my love
and passion for cinema. I’m coming from a small town in Quebec where, at that
time, there was no internet and the way to be in contact with movies were those
American fan magazines like Fantastic Films and Starlog and I still remember
the shock, the impact of seeing the first frames, the first pictures coming out
of Blade Runner. Me and my friends were in awe, so
excited and the movie was such a strong cinematic experience. A
new way of seeing sci-fi.
For me it’s like a monument. So when I realized one
day that they put in front of me the Blade Runner project
screen play, for me I was very moved to have this honor to read the screenplay,
but I accepted to do it because I felt that Hampton Fancher, Ridely Scott and
Michael Green did a fantastic job on the screenplay. It’s a very powerful
screenplay. And I felt that it made sense to me and I had the Ridley Scott
blessing. But you ask if I hesitated. I hesitated massively. It took me a lot
of time to say yes. Not because I didn’t believe in it, because I was like ‘Who
am I to dare to touch that?’ And at the same there’s a part of me that said,
‘I’m a hardcore fan, I don’t want to fuck that up.’"
Ultimately, he felt like he could do it, and that is
why he decided to replace Scott.
"It’s a huge challenge, because you don’t want to
cut and paste, otherwise why [do it]? And at the same time you have to respect
what was done, so you have to find the right equilibrium between being faithful
to the first one and bringing something new at the same time that will make
sense to the Blade
Runner universe."
Like other directors with classic material (George
Lucas), Scott has tinkered with his own creation over the years. Different cuts
and special editions have come out, but Villeneuve says that his film won't be
your traditional sequel.
"The movie will be autonomous and at the same
time there will be some link, but I cannot talk too much about it. The only
thing I can say is I was raised with the original cut, the original version
that Ridley doesn’t like. That’s the Blade
Runner that I
was introduced to at the beginning and that I loved for years, and then I must
say that I’m someone that appreciated the very last cut, the [Final
Cut] version. So between all the different cuts, for me it’s the
first and the very last that I’m more inspired by."
As for trying to please the fans of the original
movie, the filmmaker says that the pressure is on to rise up to the challenge.
"I’m totally aware of the huge challenge. It’s a
risk I know that every single fan who walks into the theater will walk in with
a baseball bat. I’m aware of that and I respect that, and it’s okay with me
because it’s art. Art is risk, and I have to take risks. It’s gonna be the
biggest risk of my life but I’m okay with that. For me it’s very exciting… It’s
just so inspiring, I’m so inspired. I’ve been dreaming to do sci-fi since I was
10 years old, and I said ‘no’ to a lot of sequels—I couldn’t say ‘no’ to Blade Runner. I
love it to much, so I said, ‘Alright fuck it, I will do it and give everything
I have to make it great.’"
Villeneuve is not known for sharing much of anything
on social media when he's working, and he's not about to change for Blade
Runner.
"The less you guys will know, the more it’s gonna
be interesting… I understand enthusiasm, but a thing I love as a film lover is
to sit in the theater not knowing a lot of things. If you were talking to me
about the last movie I just shot or the other projects, I would have the same
attitude. I’m someone who always tried to protect the surprises, so it’s gonna
be the same with that project. I will be very boring when it’s time to give
answers."
Finally, the Blade Runner sequel will be return of the
great Roger Deakins to sci-fi since Michael Radford's 1984 in 1984.
"Roger was dreaming to go back to sci-fi since
it’s a long time, and to convince him to do Blade
Runner it took
me maybe 2.5 seconds."
There is no release date yet scheduled for Blade
Runner 2.
Source - Collider
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