We’re just under three weeks away from the release of “Blade Runner 2049,” the film remains under a heavy shroud of secrecy. Warner Bros. has kept the highly anticipated and very mysterious sequel off the festival circuit, where many thought it might show up. Everyone involved wants to keep the surprises fresh for as long as possible, which makes it understandable why Wired‘s profile on the movie doesn’t reveal any huge details. If anything, it underscores the desire by everyone involved to make something special.
For director Denis Villeneuve, his main priority was ensuring that his movie stayed in line with Ridley Scott‘s 1982 classic, and didn’t fall prey to contemporary blockbuster expectations. In short, he didn’t want the movie to be “too Marvel.”
“I want to bring them down as close as possible to the original ‘Blade Runner‘: more simple, more brutal,” he emphasize, promising to bring audiences into a future where all remains not well, and has possibly gotten even worse.
Meanwhile, cinematographer Roger Deakins wanted to make sure that from a visual standpoint, they weren’t simply following the path others have taken. “So many science fiction films all look the same, because the effects are done by rote,” he said. “We were desperate to create our own world.”
Certainly, they’ve done that if the trailers are anything to go by — no one from “Guardians Of The Galaxy” is going to come wandering through these sets. Indeed, the grit is palpable.
“We wanted the vehicles to have a more chiseled, angular, graphic strength,” production designer Dennis Gassner said. “It’s a harsher world than in the first film, both environmentally and stylistically.”
So, don’t expect a sci-fi film welcoming you to a comfortable utopia. “Blade Runner 2049” opens on October 6th.