“Blade Runner” star-studded sequel title announced

PanARMENIAN.Net - Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. have titled the upcoming “Blade Runner” sequel as “Blade Runner 2049”, Variety reports.

Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, Barkhad Abdi and Dave Bautista are starring. Denis Villeneuve (“Sicario”) is directing the film, which started shooting in July.

The movie will be released on Oct. 6, 2017, in North America. Sony Pictures Releasing International will distribute it overseas.

The sequel is set several decades after the 1982 original, with Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard. Plot details are being kept under wraps but it’s probable that part of the film will take place in 2049.

Ridley Scott directed the original, which was set in a rainy dystopian version of Los Angeles in 2019 and followed Deckard as he pursued four replicants who had escaped from an off-world colony. The androids, led by Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty character, sought to extend their four-year lifespan.

The film was selected in 1993 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The sequel is written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, and succeeds the initial story by Fancher and David Peoples, based on Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble of Thunderbird Films will serve as executive producers. Scott will also executive produce along with Bill Carraro.

Alcon also announced Thursday it’s formed a new division of the company titled Alcon Interactive with an initial partnership with virtual reality company Oculus. As part of this alliance, Oculus will make and distribute VR experiences based on “Blade Runner 2049.

The announcement of the title included the release of a photo of Villeneuve, Scott, Ford and Gosling on the movie set.