One of the greatest (and loudest. And never-ending) arguments utter dorks like myself subject themselves to is the classic conundrum presented by Blade Runner‘s protagonist Rick Deckard. Is he an artificial human a.k.a. replicant? The great thing about this debate is that, depending on what cut of the movie you watch, there’s lots of room for interpretation. It’s one of the myriad reasons why Blade Runner continues to captivate viewers. But, if/when Blade Runner 2: The Runnining finally hits screens, that vagueness will be dashed to pieces.
Empire recently ran an interview with Ridley Scott who decimates any ambiguity about Deckard’s Replicant-ery:
The plan for this one is for Ford’s Deckard to be – spoiler alert in case you haven’t seen Blade Runner – embracing his Replicant side. “Of course he’s a bloody Replicant! He’s going to have to admit it.” Which does make us wonder how he can stay alive when the replicants in the original had a built-in limited lifespan. “You’ll have to see the story. It’ll all make sense.”
This has always been my trepidation when it comes to this sequel. Scott has always been vehement about Deckard’s replicant status, but that has never stopped tons of fans from doing their damndest to disprove him. I knew that a sequel had to definitively address this issue, and it probably was going to sap some of the thunder from the original film. I’m still very excited to see Denis Villeneuve’s direction of the film (Blade Runner is definitely a film that is remembered more for its visual aspects than its script), but dashing away one of geekdom’s greatest uncertainties is going to create an even bigger line in the sand for some people.
As to what I think about Deckard’s replicant status? Do I dare offer a definitive answer to a wonderful mystery?
…He’s totally a replicant.
Thanks to Chewer Bluelouboyle (Team Human) for the heads-up on this!
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