Four months ago, we were titilated by a short tease of one of the most unsuspecting but now most anticipated sequels currently in science fiction. And yes, I’m saying knowing full well what Star Wars is. come on, at this point, we just expect Star Wars sequels, prequels, and one-offs since Lucasfilm became part of Disney.
I’m talking about Blade Runner 2049. I’m not going to go into the hype surrounding that trailer, and what could be in store for us with Blade Runner 2049, since I covered that in an earlier article, and was promptly proven wrong about some of my initial ideas. Instead, let’s break down this shiny full trailer, and make more assumptions that I’ll probably be wrong about.
Reality Has Another Shot
The original Blade Runner took place in 2019. While we may not have fully-functioning replicants walking around yet, technology has evolved enough to make us think that it could happen in 2049. This also means that we probably won’t be given an excessive monologue-based film about historical events having to do with replicants. Unless Officer K (Ryan Gosling) used a time machine to launch himself into the future to talk to Deckard (Harrison Ford), but I’m sure Ridley Scott wouldn’t sign off on something that too closely resembles Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Time Cop.
This Will Do for Jared Leto what The Dark Knight Did for Heath Ledger
Jared Leto tried to follow in Heath Ledger’s footsteps by using the character Joker to show the range of his acting with Suicide Squad. It didn’t work, both because you can’t follow up a performance like that so soon, and also because Suicide Squad just wasn’t that kind of movie.
But here, in Blade Runner 2049, Leto looks like he’s going to pull off his role as a villain. He has to be the villain. The gloomy music and “all will bow before me” sort of lines is proof of it. But who is Jared Leto playing, besides the head of, most likely, the Tyrell Corporation? Is he actually a replicant version of Dr. Eldon Tyrell? I’ll allow it.
Officer K Is a Rick Deckard Replicant
There’s just too many similarities between Ryan Gosling’s Officer K and young Rick Deckard to deny this possibility. And if Jared Leto is playing the part of a replicant version of Dr. Tyrell, it would only make sense that replicants started being built with the characteristics of legends in their fields. It would also throw a nice curveball into the debate as to whether Rick Deckard himself was a replicant.
Ridley Scott Landscapes and Cityscapes
The original Blade Runner gave us some amazing futuristic cinematography, because it’s not a Ridley Scott film unless there are sprawling, futuristic landscapes that make you think Ridley Scott built a planet in order to shoot scenes like this. ridley Scott may only be a producer for Blade Runner 2049, but you have to believe he was looking over the shoulders of cinematographers, post-op, and director Denis Villeneuve.
Blade Runner 2049 hits screens on October 6, 2017, and can’t come soon enough.