Denis Villeneuve Is Aware Of The "Huge Challenge" Of Making A BLADE RUNNER Sequel
Denis Villeneuve has developed quite the filmography so far. However, the talented Prisoners & Sicario director knows he'll have to deliver some of his best work yet to please the fans when he takes on the sequel to Ridley Scott's revered sci-fi movie, Blade Runner...
Denis Villeneuve is one of the most talented directors around at the moment. After stunning audiences with Prisoners and Enemy back-to-back in 2013, the French-Canadian director is currently receiving rave reviews for his latest thriller Sicario at TIFF. It's for this reason that many longtime fans have welcomed his appointment on the Blade Runner sequel with open arms. However, given the lasting impact Ridley Scott's 1982 original has had on a whole generation of filmmakers and fans alike, he's still well aware of the pressure on his shoulders to deliver.
"It's a huge challenge because you don’t want to cut and paste, otherwise why [do it]?" he admitted to Collider (via JoBlo). "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."
Additionally, he elaborated on his "deep fear" over having to follow up to one of his own all-time favorites. "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," he claimed, "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."
Villeneuve also confirmed that filming commences next summer, but remained tight-lipped about any location details. He did, however, reveal that "the [sequel] will be autonomous and at the same time there will be some link" to Scott's sci-fi masterpiece, and added that it only took him "2.5 seconds" to convince acclaimed DoP Roger Deakins to collaborate with him on the project.
With talents like Deakins, Villeneuve and the incoming Ryan Gosling all on board, and both Scott and star Harrison Ford set to return, Blade Runner 2 looks like it could have a bright future. Do you like what you're hearing so far - or do you think a sequel is totally unnecessary? Sound off below!
The Untitled Blade Runner Sequel currently has no official release date, but in the meantime you can catch Villeneuve's highly touted Sicario in theatres October 2.