Denis Villeneuve Explains Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Exit From ‘Blade Runner 2049’

The lead up to the release of “Blade Runner 2049” has been pretty interesting to watch. In the last few weeks, fretful cinephiles have been weighing in on the film’s quality, worried that because Warner Bros. had done almost nothing in the way of advance screenings and skipped the festival circuit, the picture was doomed. The gloomy outlook was only underscored when news emerged that composer Jóhann Jóhannsson was officially off the film, replaced by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch. Both the composer and director have thus far stayed mum about the split, but Denis Villeneuve has opened up about the decision to shift gears.

In an interview with Al Arabiya, the filmmaker is diplomatic, praising Jóhannsson’s talent — he has worked with him on “Prisoners,” “Sicario” and “Arrival” — but essentially saying that ultimately he wasn’t the right fit for “Blade Runner 2049.”

“The thing I will say is that making movies is a laboratory. It’s an artistic process. You cannot plan things. Jóhann Jóhannsson is one of my favorite composers alive today. He’s a very strong artist,” Villeneuve said. “But the movie needed something different, and I needed to go back to something closer to Vangelis. Johan and I decided that I will need to go in another direction—that’s what I will say. I hope I have the chance to work with him again because I think he’s really a fantastic composer.”

It sounds like the pair were simply on different creative paths for “Blade Runner 2049,” but hopefully this situation won’t prevent them from working together again in the future. Their collaborations to date have yielded some incredible results. As for the predictions that the movie hasn’t lived up to expectations, that narrative has changed drastically.

“Blade Runner 2049” opens on October 6th.