By Travis Johnson
A new piece of concept art from Denis Villeneuve’s as-yet-untitled Blade Runner sequel. Look at it, would you? The neon signs, the foggy concourse, the shadowy figures – we’re in Blade Runner country, all right.
At least, the broad strokes say we are – the piece is a bit light on details. It’ll be interesting to see if the new film will keep the original’s deep debt to the visual aesthetic of 1940s noir, not just in terms of shot composition and lighting, but costuming and set design. It’s hard to tell at this point.
Plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, but director Villeneuve has said, “I’ve always been attracted to science-fiction films with strong visual signatures that lead us into unique parallel worlds and the original ‘Blade Runner’ is by far the best of all time. Ridley Scott had the genius to blend science-fiction and film noir to create this unique exploration of human condition. The new Blade Runner is an extension of the first movie a few decades later.”
Starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, Mackenzie Davis, Barkhad Abdi, Dave Bautista, David Dastmalchian and Hiam Abbass, the film goes into production later this month for an October 5, 2017 release.
