By Travis Johnson
It’s official: the upcoming sequel to Ridley Scott’s seminal 1982 cyberpunk thriller will simply be titled Blade Runner 2049. So it was announced today, accompanied by a sweet pic of director Denis Villeneuve, producer Ridley Scott, and stars Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling.
2049 is just one year away.#BladeRunner 2049 – in theaters October 6, 2017. pic.twitter.com/DDJ752HXvd
— #BladeRunner 2049 (@bladerunner) October 6, 2016
Look at the guns on the bar!
Also confirmed is a fairly ambitious release date – exactly one year from the announcement. Still, given the incredibly long development period, that may not be as damning as many studio-mandated release dates are, and we’d imagine that, if push came to shove, some wiggle room could be provided – this is a film you would not want to stuff up. Imagine dropping the ball on a long-delayed sequel to a Ridley Scott SF classic.
Oh yeah, Prometheus…
Honestly, we’re in the bag for this. Blade Runner is a stone classic, Villeneuve is one of the best directors currently working, Gosling is one of the best actors of his generation, and Ford seems to be engaged with both the world and his work for the first time in decades. Even Scott, one of the most frustratingly uneven creators of all time (how GI Jane and Alien are on the same CV is beyond reckoning), is coming off a high note with The Martian. Will it be any good? Who knows – but we are excited as heck to find out.
