'Blade Runner 2049': Sequel's Success is 'Very Narrow,' Director Admits

By Kristinova V. Justimbaste, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Thirty-five years after Ridley Scott's cult classic "Blade Runner" made its debut, Denis Villeneuve has come up with a sequel. But the director does not seem to be confident about the upcoming film.

Villenueve has some big shoes to fill. And although at first he felt immense pressure to produce a film that comes up to par with the 1984 classic, he has accepted the universal truth — fans will always make comparisons, and that the original will always be better.

At the CineEurope trade show in Barcelona, he told The Hollywood Reporter that fans might not appreciate the much-awaited sequel as they did with the original movie, and that he is no longer bothered with that.

"Ryan Gosling and I made peace with the idea that the chances of success were very narrow," he shared. "I came on board because the script was very strong. But no matter what you do, no matter how good what you're doing is, the film will always be compared to the first, which is a masterpiece. So I made peace with that. And when you make peace with that, you are free."

According to Villenueve, Scott gave him creative freedom to expand the world that he established back in the 80s. Scott even offered to help, if ever the sequel's director wanted any. Although he was not physically present when production was ongoing, Villenueve felt his presence, as the universe he was dealing with was created by Scott.

Gosling shared that while the sequel remains true to the original, Villenueve also added his own touch to the "Blade Runner" universe.

The "La La Land" actor portrays the lead role, Officer K, the new blade runner. When he discovers a long-buried secret that could further destroy what is left of society, he goes on a quest to find the missing blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).

Aside from the aforementioned stars, "Blade Runner 2049" features Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Dave Bautista, and Robin Wright.

"Blade Runner 2049" is slated to premiere this Oct. 6.