Denis Villeneuve really messed with my head in last year’s darkly hypnotic Enemy, but he did so in all the ways I like my head to get messed with. It’s satisfying news to hear that he is almost certainly landing the directing gig for the Blade Runner sequel. A press release put out today says that he is in negotiations for the job, but that’s pretty much a done deal if Alcon Entertainment went ahead and did an official press release. Come on.
Harrison Ford will be returning as Deckard, and the film’s story (co-scripted by original screenwriter Hampton Fancher) will be set “several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original.” Principal photography kicks off in summer 2016.
I don’t really want a sequel to Blade Runner, but if we’re gonna get one anyways, I certainly want the best sequel possible. Villeneuve’s involvement gives me a lot of hope, since I don’t think this will be some juiced up action version of the first movie. Mood and world-building are the two biggest components that make Blade Runner work so well for me, and Villeneuve knows exactly how to craft mood.
I’m not going to get excited about this, but consider my dial switched from “casually disinterested” to “cautiously intrigued.”
Harrison Ford properties seem to be taking off lately. Maybe this is my chance to pitch my Air Force One sequel idea, Air Force One Two.