Man, if people had been offering David Bowie acting roles while he was still alive at the same rate they seemed to just after he died, he would have been busier than Jessica Chastain. One of the rare singers to successfully crossover into acting without embarassing himself, Bowie’s last screen role was, of all things, cameoing as himself in Vanessa Hudgens-starring teen movie “Bandslam” in 2009. But already this year, it’s emerged that James Gunn wanted the music legend to cameo in “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2,” and he was intended to reprise his role from the original in “Twin Peaks: The Return.”
Sadly, in both cases, Bowie passed away (in January 2016) before he was able to take the parts, and now it’s emerged that a third major 2017 project sought after the actor’s unique presence: the long-awaited “Blade Runner 2049.” In an interview with Metro, Denis Villeneuve, director of the sequel to Ridley Scott’s cyberpunk classic, says that he wanted the superstar to play the film’s villain, Neander Wallace.
“Our first thought had been David Bowie,” Villeneuve said of casting the character, “who had influenced Blade Runner in many ways. When we learned the sad news, we looked around for someone like that.” In the end, Villeneuve landed on Jared Leto, suggesting that “someone like that” meant “a human being who is able to talk.” And now Jared Leto being in “Blade Runner” is the second worst thing about David Bowie dying, the first being that David Bowie is no longer alive.
READ MORE: First ‘Blade Runner 2049’ Reactions Suggest You Can Breathe Easy
In other “Blade Runner 2049” news (and ICYMI, the first reactions to the movie landed earlier this afternoon), Collider spoke to Villeneuve about whether there could be more to come from the series.“When I jumped on board,” the helmer tells the site, “it was to make a standalone movie, and I never had any pressure to think about what would come after. But of course… it’s more a question you should ask the producers, but they’re very passionate about this world, and I’m sure, if the reaction is positive, they could come back with another idea. Ridley Scott has some ideas.”
We’re sure he does… In other news, the transmedia stuff for the new movie keeps coming, but unlike those slightly disappointing earlier ones focused on Jared Leto and Dave Bautista’s character (directed by Ridley’s son Luke), the latest, “Black Out,” is a pretty impressive thing to see. A prequel set in 2022, and following two replicants, Iggy and Trixie, it’s an anime helmed by legendary “Cowboy Bebop” creator Shinichiro Watanabe, helping to fill in gaps between the original and “Blade Runner 2049.” Even cooler, it’s scored by the great Flying Lotus. Watch the whole thing below (via Slash Film), along with a zillion new images, and the movie which it’s teasing opens next Friday, October 6th.
