Connection with the previous post (THE BIG SHORT): Ryan Gosling starred in both films.
RATINGS: IMDB ― 8.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 87%, ME ― 90%
RATINGS: IMDB ― 8.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 87%, ME ― 90%
'K': I've never retired something that was born before.
Lieutenant Joshi: What's the difference?
'K': To be born is to have a soul, I guess.
Lieutenant Joshi: Are you telling me no?
'K': I wasn't aware there was an option, madame.
Lieutenant Joshi: Attaboy.
['K' moves to the door]
Lieutenant Joshi: Hey! You've been getting on fine without one.
'K': What's that, madame?
Lieutenant Joshi: A soul.
Ryan Gosling as 'K' and Robin Wright as Lieutenant Joshi
Trivia (From IMDB):
David Bowie was Denis Villeneuve's first choice for the role of Niander Wallace, but passed away before the start of shooting.
The opening scene in which K confronts Sapper Morton is a near exact remake of a scene written and storyboarded but never filmed for the original Blade Runner (1982).
For shooting of the scene in Las Vegas, cinematographer Roger Deakins was inspired by a memory of seeing the Sydney Opera House in Australia after a dust storm. Denis Villeneuve suggested adding the giant erotic statue.
There are three short films that fill the gap between the original Blade Runner (1982) and this sequel. Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017) is the first in chronological order, followed by 2036: Nexus Dawn (2017) and 2048: Nowhere to Run (2017). Black Out 2022 was made by anime director Shinichirô Watanabe, who is famous for his work on The Animatrix (2003) and Cowboy Bebop (1998). The other two films were directed by Luke Scott, Ridley Scott's son.
The text of the baseline that K must recite ("And blood-black nothingness began to spin / A system of cells interlinked within / Cells interlinked within cells interlinked / Within one stem. And dreadfully distinct/ Against the dark, a tall white fountain played") is from Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire (lines 703-707 of the poem), the novel that Joi volunteers to read to K. The passage goes on to describe how "the mind / Of any man is quick to recognize / Natural shams ... The reed becomes a bird, the knobby twig / An inchworm ..." Recognizing "natural shams" is of course an apt description of a Blade Runner's job.
The role of new Blade Runner Officer K was written specifically with Ryan Gosling in mind. He was the only choice for director Denis Villeneuve.
Questioned about the possibility of a future alternative cut of the film, director Denis Villeneuve stated that the theatrical cut is his one and only cut. The original Blade Runner (1982) is notorious for having several different cuts released through the years.
According to the documentary Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner (2007), director Ridley Scott had a totally different introduction in mind for Rick Deckard in the 1982 movie. In the end, he chose the noodles scene on the street to first show Ford as an ex-Blade Runner. Thirty-five years later, director Denis Villeneuve used that exact unused scene in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) to introduce Ryan Gosling, which became the farm scene with the discovery of the tree.
Director Denis Villeneuve noted that he was fully aware of the immense pressure he was under, and how hardcore fans of the original view the prospect of a new film: "I know that every single fan will walk into the theater with a baseball bat. I'm aware of that and I respect that, and it's okay with me because it's art. Art is risk, and I have to take risks. It's gonna be the biggest risk of my life but I'm okay with that. For me it's very exciting... It's just so inspiring, I'm so inspired. I've been dreaming to do Sci-Fi since I was ten years old, and I said 'no' to a lot of sequels. I couldn't say 'no' to Blade Runner 2049. I love it too much, so I said, 'Alright, I will do it and give everything I have to make it great.'"
The film includes signs for companies that suffered the alleged "Blade Runner Curse," most notably Pan Am airlines (which went bankrupt in 1991) and Atari (which currently exists as a brand but has not been a corporate entity since the mid 1990s). Director Denis Villeneuve has explained that both films take place in an alternate universe where these companies remained corporate powerhouses and other companies like Apple did not exist (not to mention a universe in which synthetic humans were developed by the 2010s).
Wood is rare and valuable, as shown by the wooden horse K owns. Wallace's house is made almost entirely out of wood to show how wealthy he is.
Initially, Denis Villeneuve was against the concept of a sequel to Blade Runner (1982), as he felt it could violate the original. However, after reading the script, which he and Harrison Ford have described as "one of the best" they have ever read, he committed to the project, stating that Ford was already involved at that point: "To be very honest with you, Harrison was part of the project before I arrived. He was attached to it right from the start with Ridley [Scott]. I met him and he's honestly one of the nicest human beings I've met and is one of my favorite actors of all time, so for me it's a lot of pleasure."
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson was attached to compose the music for the film. However, in August 2017, he dropped out from the project for unknown reasons and composer Hans Zimmer, along with Benjamin Wallfisch, were hired to replace Jóhannsson.
Dennis Gassner based the design of Niander Wallace's lair on one of the rooms in Kiyomizu-dera, the famous ancient temple in Kyoto, Japan. The floor type used for the lair is the uguisubari or the nightingale floor, where the noise created alerts a person to a possible intruder.
As seen in the film, the baseline test that K must recite back ("A system of cells interlinked within / Cells interlinked within cells interlinked") was Ryan Gosling's idea. He employed an acting technique called "dropping in," which induced a trance-like and hypnotic effect on his performance.
When Joi searches around Deckard's place, there is ambient noise which was heard in Deckard's apartment in the first movie and was also used as background noise in the med bay in Alien (1979).
In order to portray the blind character of Niander Wallace, Jared Leto decided to fit himself with opaque contact lenses that made it impossible for him to see.
When K enters the hall where he first meets Deckard, we hear the same bells sounds as when Deckard enters the Bradbury building for the final showdown with Pris and Roy.
With Ridley Scott having toyed with the edit of Blade Runner (1982) over the years, it is fair to ask which version would be considered "canon" going into the sequel. Denis Villeneuve replied by insinuating the follow-up may not be as much of a straightforward sequel as we thought: "The movie will be autonomous and at the same time there will be some link. The only thing I can say is I was raised with the original cut, the original version that Ridley doesn't like. That's the Blade Runner that I was introduced to at the beginning and that I loved for years, and then I must say that I appreciated the very last cut, the 'Final Cut' version. So between all the different cuts, for me it's the first and the very last that I'm more inspired by."
According to an interview with editor Joe Walker, the aerials over the abandoned solar farms are shot at a real location, a thermosolar power station near Seville.
At one point in the movie, Mariette (Mackenzie Davis) says "more human than humans", referring to Replicants. In Blade Runner (1982), when Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel) meets Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) he says "more human than human" referring to Replicants, as slogan of Tyrell Corp.
Edward James Olmos - who had Hungarian ancestors - famously improvised a native line in Blade Runner (1982), and his lines in this film also include such a word: he mentions that Deckard is now 'nyugdíjas', retired. An old Hungarian woman is also heard screaming in the hallways of K's apartment. Most of the movie was filmed in Budapest, Hungary.
The character name Ana Stelline is a pun on anastellin, a human antiangiogenic peptide. Anti-angiogenesis is a field of medicine concerned with the prevention of formation of blood vessels. The field is often studied by cancer doctors to stop blood-flow supplying malignant tumors.
134 of 142 found this interesting | Share this
Sony Pictures, which handles world distribution of Blade Runner 2049, drew the wrath of Film Critics Association of of Turkey (SIYAD) when it defended its decision of supplying a self-censored version of the movie, deleting all instances of nudity, to Turkey by stating that it was done out of "respect for the local culture." SIYAD responded in an open letter to Sony, saying "Seeing oneself as an authority to decide what is appropriate and what is not appropriate for a "local culture" and imposing your view on that "culture" is one of the greatest shows of disrespect for that "culture". It is an insult to the people of Turkey and specifically to movie-goers in Turkey to assume them to be disturbed by any sign of nudity whatsoever. "
The greenhouses at Sapper Morton's farm bear the word "Tselina". This is a Russian word and is a reference to Khrushchev's "Virgin Lands" campaign (Osvoyeniye Tselina) in the Soviet Union where citizens were moved to undesirable and sparely populated lands to start farms and grow food.
When asked for his thoughts about the sequel, Rutger Hauer, (who played Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982)), stated that that he was completely indifferent to it. He saw no reason why the makers would go back to something which he thought was already perfect, but admitted that it could be considered a compliment.
The image of garbage transports dropping their loads into the junkyard of San Diego echoes the setting of Soldier (1998), written by Blade Runner (1982) co-screenwriter David Webb Peoples. In that film, the protagonist is a space soldier deemed obsolete and dumped on a junkyard planet, and is a veteran of battles described by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) in Blade Runner.
Security and secrecy throughout the production was on the high that the producers and filmmakers adopted various measures to prevent leaks to the public such as limiting the amount of behind-the-scenes publicity apart from only an approved Omaze video. To prevent the ending from being leaked, the ending was verbally informed, not included in the soft copy of scripts handed out to actors. Other measures implemented, according to actor Lennie James include: When the script was offered to actors for supporting roles, they were required to decide whether to accept it within 36 hours. The script was incomplete, mostly the first 20 pages, and a random number of pages that included their character. In James' case, he was shown the next 20 pages after his last scene. Once an actor accepted the offer, the full script was given them. Everyone was subjected to a heavy non-disclosure agreement, with heavy penalties for violation. They were searched at entry points to the sets; hand phones and cameras were forbidden. For each shooting day, the actors were required to sign on the sides of the day when given and again when returning it. They were not allowed to keep it; Failing to do so would result of being not allowed to leave the set at the end of the day. The scripts could only be opened on one device, copied-proof, meaning it can't be copied by any means, and it was set to be deleted automatically after a certain number of hours. In James' case it was nine hours after he completed filming his scenes.
Originally, at the early development stage of the project, Ridley Scott was set to take on the directorial duties of this film. By the time the movie was getting close to pre-production, Scott announced he would no longer take the helm but would stay involved as a producer. Specifics weren't given by Scott on why he dropped out of directing the film. Oddly enough, a report came out in August 2014 that Alien: Covenant (2017), a sequel to Prometheus (2012), may be getting delayed because Scott planned to helm this film after The Martian (2015), which was in production at the time. But now, it looks to be the other way around, and Scott's commitment to Alien: Covenant (2017) may have forced him to step away from directing this film.
When K is approached by Mariette and two other women, one of the other two speaks her lines in Finnish, saying "Tää jätkä on Blade Runner. Se on vitun vaarallinen. Annetaan sen olla." ("This guy is a Blade Runner. He's fucking dangerous, let's leave him be."). The character is played by Krista Kosonen, who is a native Finn.
The name of Agent K's apartment building is Mobius 21. Jean (Moebius) Giraud's graphic short story "The Long Tomorrow" (published in Metal Hurlant in France and Heavy Metal in the US) was an early influence on the look of Blade Runner.
Jared Leto used Silicon Valley tech investors and inventors that he personally knows as examples of how Niander Wallace would behave.
In the casino, Joi is wearing a clear jacket much like the one worn by Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) in Blade Runner.
For Denis Villeneuve, there are two versions of the original Blade Runner (1982) movie despite the seven alternative cuts: The original cut is the story of a human being that is falling in love with a replicant and the final cut is a story of a replicant that discovers its true identity. As for Blade Runner 2049, with Villeneuve's own words, it is made from the tension between those two versions.
Hampton Fancher (co-writer of the original) and Michael Green wrote the original screenplay based on an idea by Fancher and Ridley Scott with the story taking place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original. Denis Villeneuve said in an interview for Collider on September 11, 2015: "Hampton Fancher, Ridley Scott and Michael Green did a fantastic job on the screenplay. It's a very powerful screenplay. And I felt that it made sense to me and I had the Ridley Scott blessing. But you ask if I hesitated. I hesitated massively. It took me a lot of time to say yes."
The 1998 film "Soldier" was written by David Peoples, who also wrote the screenplay to the original "Blade Runner." Peoples has always maintained that "Soldier" is set in the same universe as "Blade Runner," and "2049" contains at least one subtle nod to "Soldier:" The garbage scows that K sees in the metal wasteland on his way to the sweatshop are nearly identical to the one that deposited Todd (the protagonist of "Soldier," played by Kurt Russell) onto the off-world colony Arcadia, the primary setting of the 1998 film. Since "2049" happens over a decade after "Soldier," the scows are have minor modifications - though they are immediately recognizable to the eagle-eyed viewer.
The Wallace Corp alert is from the orchestra "Peter and the Wolf."
The term "Blade Runner" is not part of the Philip K. Dick 1968's original novel "Do Android Dreams of Electric Sheep?" It is the title of a 1974 novel written by Alan Nourse.
Speaking of pressure, Denis Villeneuve admitted that he was initially hesitant to take on such an iconic property: "It's more than nervous, it's a deep fear. I mean when I heard that Ridley Scott wanted to do another movie in the Blade Runner universe, at first my reaction was that it's a fantastic idea, but it may be a very bad idea. I'm among the hardcore fans of Blade Runner (1982). It's one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a movie that is linked with my love and passion for cinema. I'm coming from a small town in Quebec where, at that time, there was no internet and the way to be in contact with movies were those American fan magazines like Fantastic Films and Starlog and I still remember the shock, the impact of seeing the first frames, the first pictures coming out of Blade Runner. Me and my friends were in awe, so excited and the movie was such a strong cinematic experience. A new way of seeing sci-fi."
Emily Blunt was considered for a role but she declined due to her pregnancy.
130 of 151 found this interesting | Share this
Jared Leto traveled to Budapest, Hungary in September 2016 to film his scenes and was wrapped in just under two weeks.
Policeman K serial number is KD6-3.7, so it is P KD6-3.7. This pays homage to author Philip K. Dick (PKD).
Trivia (From IMDB):
David Bowie was Denis Villeneuve's first choice for the role of Niander Wallace, but passed away before the start of shooting.
The opening scene in which K confronts Sapper Morton is a near exact remake of a scene written and storyboarded but never filmed for the original Blade Runner (1982).
For shooting of the scene in Las Vegas, cinematographer Roger Deakins was inspired by a memory of seeing the Sydney Opera House in Australia after a dust storm. Denis Villeneuve suggested adding the giant erotic statue.
There are three short films that fill the gap between the original Blade Runner (1982) and this sequel. Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017) is the first in chronological order, followed by 2036: Nexus Dawn (2017) and 2048: Nowhere to Run (2017). Black Out 2022 was made by anime director Shinichirô Watanabe, who is famous for his work on The Animatrix (2003) and Cowboy Bebop (1998). The other two films were directed by Luke Scott, Ridley Scott's son.
The text of the baseline that K must recite ("And blood-black nothingness began to spin / A system of cells interlinked within / Cells interlinked within cells interlinked / Within one stem. And dreadfully distinct/ Against the dark, a tall white fountain played") is from Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire (lines 703-707 of the poem), the novel that Joi volunteers to read to K. The passage goes on to describe how "the mind / Of any man is quick to recognize / Natural shams ... The reed becomes a bird, the knobby twig / An inchworm ..." Recognizing "natural shams" is of course an apt description of a Blade Runner's job.
The role of new Blade Runner Officer K was written specifically with Ryan Gosling in mind. He was the only choice for director Denis Villeneuve.
Questioned about the possibility of a future alternative cut of the film, director Denis Villeneuve stated that the theatrical cut is his one and only cut. The original Blade Runner (1982) is notorious for having several different cuts released through the years.
According to the documentary Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner (2007), director Ridley Scott had a totally different introduction in mind for Rick Deckard in the 1982 movie. In the end, he chose the noodles scene on the street to first show Ford as an ex-Blade Runner. Thirty-five years later, director Denis Villeneuve used that exact unused scene in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) to introduce Ryan Gosling, which became the farm scene with the discovery of the tree.
Director Denis Villeneuve noted that he was fully aware of the immense pressure he was under, and how hardcore fans of the original view the prospect of a new film: "I know that every single fan will walk into the theater with a baseball bat. I'm aware of that and I respect that, and it's okay with me because it's art. Art is risk, and I have to take risks. It's gonna be the biggest risk of my life but I'm okay with that. For me it's very exciting... It's just so inspiring, I'm so inspired. I've been dreaming to do Sci-Fi since I was ten years old, and I said 'no' to a lot of sequels. I couldn't say 'no' to Blade Runner 2049. I love it too much, so I said, 'Alright, I will do it and give everything I have to make it great.'"
The film includes signs for companies that suffered the alleged "Blade Runner Curse," most notably Pan Am airlines (which went bankrupt in 1991) and Atari (which currently exists as a brand but has not been a corporate entity since the mid 1990s). Director Denis Villeneuve has explained that both films take place in an alternate universe where these companies remained corporate powerhouses and other companies like Apple did not exist (not to mention a universe in which synthetic humans were developed by the 2010s).
Wood is rare and valuable, as shown by the wooden horse K owns. Wallace's house is made almost entirely out of wood to show how wealthy he is.
Initially, Denis Villeneuve was against the concept of a sequel to Blade Runner (1982), as he felt it could violate the original. However, after reading the script, which he and Harrison Ford have described as "one of the best" they have ever read, he committed to the project, stating that Ford was already involved at that point: "To be very honest with you, Harrison was part of the project before I arrived. He was attached to it right from the start with Ridley [Scott]. I met him and he's honestly one of the nicest human beings I've met and is one of my favorite actors of all time, so for me it's a lot of pleasure."
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson was attached to compose the music for the film. However, in August 2017, he dropped out from the project for unknown reasons and composer Hans Zimmer, along with Benjamin Wallfisch, were hired to replace Jóhannsson.
Dennis Gassner based the design of Niander Wallace's lair on one of the rooms in Kiyomizu-dera, the famous ancient temple in Kyoto, Japan. The floor type used for the lair is the uguisubari or the nightingale floor, where the noise created alerts a person to a possible intruder.
As seen in the film, the baseline test that K must recite back ("A system of cells interlinked within / Cells interlinked within cells interlinked") was Ryan Gosling's idea. He employed an acting technique called "dropping in," which induced a trance-like and hypnotic effect on his performance.
When Joi searches around Deckard's place, there is ambient noise which was heard in Deckard's apartment in the first movie and was also used as background noise in the med bay in Alien (1979).
In order to portray the blind character of Niander Wallace, Jared Leto decided to fit himself with opaque contact lenses that made it impossible for him to see.
When K enters the hall where he first meets Deckard, we hear the same bells sounds as when Deckard enters the Bradbury building for the final showdown with Pris and Roy.
With Ridley Scott having toyed with the edit of Blade Runner (1982) over the years, it is fair to ask which version would be considered "canon" going into the sequel. Denis Villeneuve replied by insinuating the follow-up may not be as much of a straightforward sequel as we thought: "The movie will be autonomous and at the same time there will be some link. The only thing I can say is I was raised with the original cut, the original version that Ridley doesn't like. That's the Blade Runner that I was introduced to at the beginning and that I loved for years, and then I must say that I appreciated the very last cut, the 'Final Cut' version. So between all the different cuts, for me it's the first and the very last that I'm more inspired by."
According to an interview with editor Joe Walker, the aerials over the abandoned solar farms are shot at a real location, a thermosolar power station near Seville.
At one point in the movie, Mariette (Mackenzie Davis) says "more human than humans", referring to Replicants. In Blade Runner (1982), when Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel) meets Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) he says "more human than human" referring to Replicants, as slogan of Tyrell Corp.
Edward James Olmos - who had Hungarian ancestors - famously improvised a native line in Blade Runner (1982), and his lines in this film also include such a word: he mentions that Deckard is now 'nyugdíjas', retired. An old Hungarian woman is also heard screaming in the hallways of K's apartment. Most of the movie was filmed in Budapest, Hungary.
The character name Ana Stelline is a pun on anastellin, a human antiangiogenic peptide. Anti-angiogenesis is a field of medicine concerned with the prevention of formation of blood vessels. The field is often studied by cancer doctors to stop blood-flow supplying malignant tumors.
134 of 142 found this interesting | Share this
Sony Pictures, which handles world distribution of Blade Runner 2049, drew the wrath of Film Critics Association of of Turkey (SIYAD) when it defended its decision of supplying a self-censored version of the movie, deleting all instances of nudity, to Turkey by stating that it was done out of "respect for the local culture." SIYAD responded in an open letter to Sony, saying "Seeing oneself as an authority to decide what is appropriate and what is not appropriate for a "local culture" and imposing your view on that "culture" is one of the greatest shows of disrespect for that "culture". It is an insult to the people of Turkey and specifically to movie-goers in Turkey to assume them to be disturbed by any sign of nudity whatsoever. "
The greenhouses at Sapper Morton's farm bear the word "Tselina". This is a Russian word and is a reference to Khrushchev's "Virgin Lands" campaign (Osvoyeniye Tselina) in the Soviet Union where citizens were moved to undesirable and sparely populated lands to start farms and grow food.
When asked for his thoughts about the sequel, Rutger Hauer, (who played Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982)), stated that that he was completely indifferent to it. He saw no reason why the makers would go back to something which he thought was already perfect, but admitted that it could be considered a compliment.
The image of garbage transports dropping their loads into the junkyard of San Diego echoes the setting of Soldier (1998), written by Blade Runner (1982) co-screenwriter David Webb Peoples. In that film, the protagonist is a space soldier deemed obsolete and dumped on a junkyard planet, and is a veteran of battles described by Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) in Blade Runner.
Security and secrecy throughout the production was on the high that the producers and filmmakers adopted various measures to prevent leaks to the public such as limiting the amount of behind-the-scenes publicity apart from only an approved Omaze video. To prevent the ending from being leaked, the ending was verbally informed, not included in the soft copy of scripts handed out to actors. Other measures implemented, according to actor Lennie James include: When the script was offered to actors for supporting roles, they were required to decide whether to accept it within 36 hours. The script was incomplete, mostly the first 20 pages, and a random number of pages that included their character. In James' case, he was shown the next 20 pages after his last scene. Once an actor accepted the offer, the full script was given them. Everyone was subjected to a heavy non-disclosure agreement, with heavy penalties for violation. They were searched at entry points to the sets; hand phones and cameras were forbidden. For each shooting day, the actors were required to sign on the sides of the day when given and again when returning it. They were not allowed to keep it; Failing to do so would result of being not allowed to leave the set at the end of the day. The scripts could only be opened on one device, copied-proof, meaning it can't be copied by any means, and it was set to be deleted automatically after a certain number of hours. In James' case it was nine hours after he completed filming his scenes.
Originally, at the early development stage of the project, Ridley Scott was set to take on the directorial duties of this film. By the time the movie was getting close to pre-production, Scott announced he would no longer take the helm but would stay involved as a producer. Specifics weren't given by Scott on why he dropped out of directing the film. Oddly enough, a report came out in August 2014 that Alien: Covenant (2017), a sequel to Prometheus (2012), may be getting delayed because Scott planned to helm this film after The Martian (2015), which was in production at the time. But now, it looks to be the other way around, and Scott's commitment to Alien: Covenant (2017) may have forced him to step away from directing this film.
When K is approached by Mariette and two other women, one of the other two speaks her lines in Finnish, saying "Tää jätkä on Blade Runner. Se on vitun vaarallinen. Annetaan sen olla." ("This guy is a Blade Runner. He's fucking dangerous, let's leave him be."). The character is played by Krista Kosonen, who is a native Finn.
The name of Agent K's apartment building is Mobius 21. Jean (Moebius) Giraud's graphic short story "The Long Tomorrow" (published in Metal Hurlant in France and Heavy Metal in the US) was an early influence on the look of Blade Runner.
Jared Leto used Silicon Valley tech investors and inventors that he personally knows as examples of how Niander Wallace would behave.
In the casino, Joi is wearing a clear jacket much like the one worn by Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) in Blade Runner.
For Denis Villeneuve, there are two versions of the original Blade Runner (1982) movie despite the seven alternative cuts: The original cut is the story of a human being that is falling in love with a replicant and the final cut is a story of a replicant that discovers its true identity. As for Blade Runner 2049, with Villeneuve's own words, it is made from the tension between those two versions.
Hampton Fancher (co-writer of the original) and Michael Green wrote the original screenplay based on an idea by Fancher and Ridley Scott with the story taking place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original. Denis Villeneuve said in an interview for Collider on September 11, 2015: "Hampton Fancher, Ridley Scott and Michael Green did a fantastic job on the screenplay. It's a very powerful screenplay. And I felt that it made sense to me and I had the Ridley Scott blessing. But you ask if I hesitated. I hesitated massively. It took me a lot of time to say yes."
The 1998 film "Soldier" was written by David Peoples, who also wrote the screenplay to the original "Blade Runner." Peoples has always maintained that "Soldier" is set in the same universe as "Blade Runner," and "2049" contains at least one subtle nod to "Soldier:" The garbage scows that K sees in the metal wasteland on his way to the sweatshop are nearly identical to the one that deposited Todd (the protagonist of "Soldier," played by Kurt Russell) onto the off-world colony Arcadia, the primary setting of the 1998 film. Since "2049" happens over a decade after "Soldier," the scows are have minor modifications - though they are immediately recognizable to the eagle-eyed viewer.
The Wallace Corp alert is from the orchestra "Peter and the Wolf."
The term "Blade Runner" is not part of the Philip K. Dick 1968's original novel "Do Android Dreams of Electric Sheep?" It is the title of a 1974 novel written by Alan Nourse.
Speaking of pressure, Denis Villeneuve admitted that he was initially hesitant to take on such an iconic property: "It's more than nervous, it's a deep fear. I mean when I heard that Ridley Scott wanted to do another movie in the Blade Runner universe, at first my reaction was that it's a fantastic idea, but it may be a very bad idea. I'm among the hardcore fans of Blade Runner (1982). It's one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a movie that is linked with my love and passion for cinema. I'm coming from a small town in Quebec where, at that time, there was no internet and the way to be in contact with movies were those American fan magazines like Fantastic Films and Starlog and I still remember the shock, the impact of seeing the first frames, the first pictures coming out of Blade Runner. Me and my friends were in awe, so excited and the movie was such a strong cinematic experience. A new way of seeing sci-fi."
Emily Blunt was considered for a role but she declined due to her pregnancy.
130 of 151 found this interesting | Share this
Jared Leto traveled to Budapest, Hungary in September 2016 to film his scenes and was wrapped in just under two weeks.
Policeman K serial number is KD6-3.7, so it is P KD6-3.7. This pays homage to author Philip K. Dick (PKD).
Niander Wallace is the creator of the newest line of replicants. His first name Niander is a direct hint to the Homo Neandertalensis which is a species of humans sprung of from the Homo species. The Homo Neandertalensis lived alongside the Homo Sapiens. The Homo Sapiens turned out to be the more efficient species. The Homo Neandertalis became extinct and Homo Sapiens prevailed. This could imply that Wallace - being a human - is a member of a dying race. The humans (here Homo Neandertalensis) live alongside the replicants (Homo Sapiens) which will eventually outlive their human brothers.
Jared Leto was introduced to Denis Villeneuve by his close friend Jean-Marc Vallée, who had directed Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013).
Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia Pictures were not involved with the original Blade Runner (in fact in 1982 Columbia Pictures was owned by the Coca-Cola company). Sony's participation in this movie is due to their purchase of Embassy Pictures, one of the first movie's producers.
Jared Leto worked with the organization Junior Blind of America to research blindness in preparation for the role of Niander Wallace.
On August 25, 2016, a construction worker was killed while dismantling one of the film's sets at Origo Studios.
This would be the second time Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch have worked together in 2017; they previously collaborated on Dunkirk (2017), a film by Christopher Nolan. However, Hans Zimmer composed most of the music for Dunkirk, while Wallfisch contributed with sounds on some tracks.
All the scenes in K's apartment were shot in a mist-filled studio for four weeks, to give the impression of a foggy view out of the window. This impacted electronic equipment and K's apartment had to be air conditioned to bring humidity levels down.
Sylvia Hoeks is the second Dutch actor to be cast in a Blade Runner movie as a villainous Replicant; Dutch actor Rutger Hauer famously played Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982).
In June 2009, The New York Times reported that Scott and his brother, director Tony Scott, were working on a Blade Runner prequel, Purefold, set in 2019. The prequel was planned as a series of 5-10 minute shorts, aimed first at the web and then perhaps television. Due to rights problems, the series was not to be linked too closely to the characters or events of the 1982 film. On February 7, 2010, it was announced that production on Purefold had ceased, due to funding problems. On March 4, 2011, the website io9 reported that Yorkin was developing a new Blade Runner film. It was also reported that month that director Christopher Nolan was desired as director.
Ultimately Denis Villeneuve says he signed on, "because I feel that I can do it," and expanded a bit on how he'll be approaching the sequel: "It's a huge challenge, because you don't want to cut and paste, otherwise there's no point. And at the same time you have to respect what was done, so you have to find the right equilibrium between being faithful to the first one and bringing something new at the same time that will make sense to the Blade Runner universe."
The labels on Sapper's tent-farms read "Tselina", Russian for "virgin lands". It is a name for the underdeveloped, but fertile land resources in USSR (primarily in Kazakhstan). The term became widespread in the USSR from 1954 to the 1960s. This is the first example of the mix of various languages used throughout the movie.
When K goes to Las Vegas and enters the Casino he first spots several Bee Hives outside. This is a nod to the Novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" upon which the original Blade Runner film is based. In the Novel Deckard ends up keeping bees at the end when he retires.
The Wallace Corp alert is from the orchestra 'Peter and the Wolf'. In this symphonic fairy tale, instruments mimic animals, like replicants mimic humans in Blade Runner 2049; the lifeless imitate the living.
Joshi, the superior to whom K reports, means simply "boss" or "superior" in Japanese.
Ridley Scott started the production and was set to direct the film, but in the end turned down the project due to schedule conflicts with Alien: Covenant (2017). He remained however as executive producer and creative consultant.
Officer K's (Ryan Gosling) flying car is a Peugeot, a French automotive brand.
At 2 hours and 43 minutes, Blade Runner 2049 (2017)is 46 minutes longer than the original Blade Runner (1982) which ran 1 hour and 57 minutes long.
This sequel was released in the USA on October 6, 2017, just ten years and one day after the Final Cut version of the first film premiered in Los Angeles. It also premiered just over 35 years after the release of the first film.
The replicant rebel leader Freysa is missing her right eye, which would suggest that she had been retired by a blade runner and had it removed, but survived despite this. This could also mean she removed it or had it removed to avoid being retired/discovered.
Another interpretation of Gaff's origami sheep: "Rachael" is the Hebrew word for "ewe," a female sheep.
Critics who saw the film before its release were asked by Villeneuve not to reveal certain characters and plot points.
In an (21 September, 2017) interview in Dutch magazine Algemeen Dagblad actress Sylvia Hoeks explained her hair was dyed black to give her "an Asian appearance". Hoeks: "I became the Japanese version of myself. My best friend and I even started to greet each other in Japanese."
When Wallace has Deckard in his custody, it can clearly be seen that Deckard's eyes flash red.
European sci-fi magazine Métal Hurlant, considered revolutionary in the comic book art form during the 70s and 80s, has inspired many generations of authors and filmmakers, such as Ridley Scott for Blade Runner (1982). François Schuiten, one of the most influential comic book artists behind Métal Hurlant, acted as production designer on Mars et Avril (2012). This indie sci-fi romance, which pays tribute to Métal Hurlant in many ways, is directed by Martin Villeneuve, the younger brother of Denis Villeneuve who directed this film.
The film's cast includes one Oscar winner: Jared Leto, and four Oscar nominees: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Edward James Olmos and Barkhad Abdi.
Ridley Scott advised Denis Villeneuve to leave room for mystery.
The loud and jarring "motorcycle" noise that appears throughout the score began as a male choir sample, that Benjamin Wallfisch repeatedly ran through a series of electronic filters until it sounded mechanical.
Gary Oldman and Ed Harris were considered for the role of Wallace before Jared Leto was cast.
Jared Leto made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, NV on March 29, 2017 to promote the film at the Warner Bros. panel, and to introduce new footage. Leto appeared alongside co-star Ana de Armas and director Denis Villeneuve. Ryan Goslingalso appeared at the convention to present new footage at the Sony Pictures panel.
The first joint-venture between Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures since Something's Gotta Give (2003).
The breed of the dog that Deckard owns is an Estrela Mountain Dog.
The cars used by The Wallace Corporation are Lincolns.
During post production, on July 11th, 1981, Producer Michael Deeley and Director Ridley Scott were both "technically" fired from the original "Blade Runner" . "Blade Runner 2049" began filming exactly 35 years later on July 11th, 2016.
When Joi tells K "Four symbols make a man "A" "T" "G" and "C". She is referring to the letters that represent the four bases that make up DNA. "A" is Adenine, "T" is thymine, "G" for guanine and "C" for cytosine. When she says "I am two: 1 and 0" she is referring to the fact she is digital and therefore made of binary code "1"s and "0"s.
The movie begins in June of 2049, as seen by the onscreen date of K's first baseline exam.
The whole production was named "Triboro" during shooting.
At one point, the prostitute Mariette remarks about K's holographic girlfriend Joi, "Oh I see, you don't like real girls." Ryan Gosling starred in Lars and the Real Girl (2007), about a man's relationship with a sex doll he ordered on the Internet.
Jared Leto described the opportunity to be part of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) to be a great honor as being a fan of the original 1982 film at CinemaCon 2017 Leto elaborated on how Blade Runner (1982) influenced his life due to the film's cinematography, art direction, directing, music, and acting.
Two versions of the Baseline scene were filmed for the movie: the original scripted version, in which 'K' reads a small passage of Vladimir Nabokov 's Pale Fire, and a much longer take written by Ryan Gosling himself. It was a lengthy eight-minute staccato dialogue and Gosling delivered each take without hesitation for every camera angle.
K's overcoat reveals faint prison stripes in two scenes, around the 65 minute and 240 minute mark. This indicates he was imprisoned in his work.
Dr. Steline makes a cake reminiscent of the promised cake in the video game Portal. Like the original, the cake is not real.
Sylvia Hoeks plays a character named Luv. Coincidentally, there was a popular girl pop group called Luv' in the 70s and 80s in the Netherlands, where Hoeks is from.
Ryan Gosling (K) and Wood Harris (Nandez) both appeared in Remember the Titans(2000).
Both Ana de Armas (Joi) and Jared Leto (Niander Wallace) have previously starred in movies about gun running. For de Armas it was 'War Dogs,' and for Leto it was 'Lord of War.'
Freysa, the replicant revolutionary leader, says to K that he expects her to look up and to the left. This refers to the facial "tell" that a person is speaking the truth. One of the tells of when a person is lying is that they look up and to the right, which indicates that they are involved in creative 'right brain" thinking, in other words, lying.
Jared Leto was introduced to Denis Villeneuve by his close friend Jean-Marc Vallée, who had directed Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013).
Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia Pictures were not involved with the original Blade Runner (in fact in 1982 Columbia Pictures was owned by the Coca-Cola company). Sony's participation in this movie is due to their purchase of Embassy Pictures, one of the first movie's producers.
Jared Leto worked with the organization Junior Blind of America to research blindness in preparation for the role of Niander Wallace.
On August 25, 2016, a construction worker was killed while dismantling one of the film's sets at Origo Studios.
This would be the second time Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch have worked together in 2017; they previously collaborated on Dunkirk (2017), a film by Christopher Nolan. However, Hans Zimmer composed most of the music for Dunkirk, while Wallfisch contributed with sounds on some tracks.
All the scenes in K's apartment were shot in a mist-filled studio for four weeks, to give the impression of a foggy view out of the window. This impacted electronic equipment and K's apartment had to be air conditioned to bring humidity levels down.
Sylvia Hoeks is the second Dutch actor to be cast in a Blade Runner movie as a villainous Replicant; Dutch actor Rutger Hauer famously played Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982).
In June 2009, The New York Times reported that Scott and his brother, director Tony Scott, were working on a Blade Runner prequel, Purefold, set in 2019. The prequel was planned as a series of 5-10 minute shorts, aimed first at the web and then perhaps television. Due to rights problems, the series was not to be linked too closely to the characters or events of the 1982 film. On February 7, 2010, it was announced that production on Purefold had ceased, due to funding problems. On March 4, 2011, the website io9 reported that Yorkin was developing a new Blade Runner film. It was also reported that month that director Christopher Nolan was desired as director.
Ultimately Denis Villeneuve says he signed on, "because I feel that I can do it," and expanded a bit on how he'll be approaching the sequel: "It's a huge challenge, because you don't want to cut and paste, otherwise there's no point. And at the same time you have to respect what was done, so you have to find the right equilibrium between being faithful to the first one and bringing something new at the same time that will make sense to the Blade Runner universe."
The labels on Sapper's tent-farms read "Tselina", Russian for "virgin lands". It is a name for the underdeveloped, but fertile land resources in USSR (primarily in Kazakhstan). The term became widespread in the USSR from 1954 to the 1960s. This is the first example of the mix of various languages used throughout the movie.
When K goes to Las Vegas and enters the Casino he first spots several Bee Hives outside. This is a nod to the Novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" upon which the original Blade Runner film is based. In the Novel Deckard ends up keeping bees at the end when he retires.
The Wallace Corp alert is from the orchestra 'Peter and the Wolf'. In this symphonic fairy tale, instruments mimic animals, like replicants mimic humans in Blade Runner 2049; the lifeless imitate the living.
Joshi, the superior to whom K reports, means simply "boss" or "superior" in Japanese.
Ridley Scott started the production and was set to direct the film, but in the end turned down the project due to schedule conflicts with Alien: Covenant (2017). He remained however as executive producer and creative consultant.
Officer K's (Ryan Gosling) flying car is a Peugeot, a French automotive brand.
At 2 hours and 43 minutes, Blade Runner 2049 (2017)is 46 minutes longer than the original Blade Runner (1982) which ran 1 hour and 57 minutes long.
This sequel was released in the USA on October 6, 2017, just ten years and one day after the Final Cut version of the first film premiered in Los Angeles. It also premiered just over 35 years after the release of the first film.
The replicant rebel leader Freysa is missing her right eye, which would suggest that she had been retired by a blade runner and had it removed, but survived despite this. This could also mean she removed it or had it removed to avoid being retired/discovered.
Another interpretation of Gaff's origami sheep: "Rachael" is the Hebrew word for "ewe," a female sheep.
Critics who saw the film before its release were asked by Villeneuve not to reveal certain characters and plot points.
In an (21 September, 2017) interview in Dutch magazine Algemeen Dagblad actress Sylvia Hoeks explained her hair was dyed black to give her "an Asian appearance". Hoeks: "I became the Japanese version of myself. My best friend and I even started to greet each other in Japanese."
When Wallace has Deckard in his custody, it can clearly be seen that Deckard's eyes flash red.
European sci-fi magazine Métal Hurlant, considered revolutionary in the comic book art form during the 70s and 80s, has inspired many generations of authors and filmmakers, such as Ridley Scott for Blade Runner (1982). François Schuiten, one of the most influential comic book artists behind Métal Hurlant, acted as production designer on Mars et Avril (2012). This indie sci-fi romance, which pays tribute to Métal Hurlant in many ways, is directed by Martin Villeneuve, the younger brother of Denis Villeneuve who directed this film.
The film's cast includes one Oscar winner: Jared Leto, and four Oscar nominees: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Edward James Olmos and Barkhad Abdi.
Ridley Scott advised Denis Villeneuve to leave room for mystery.
The loud and jarring "motorcycle" noise that appears throughout the score began as a male choir sample, that Benjamin Wallfisch repeatedly ran through a series of electronic filters until it sounded mechanical.
Gary Oldman and Ed Harris were considered for the role of Wallace before Jared Leto was cast.
Jared Leto made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, NV on March 29, 2017 to promote the film at the Warner Bros. panel, and to introduce new footage. Leto appeared alongside co-star Ana de Armas and director Denis Villeneuve. Ryan Goslingalso appeared at the convention to present new footage at the Sony Pictures panel.
The first joint-venture between Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures since Something's Gotta Give (2003).
The breed of the dog that Deckard owns is an Estrela Mountain Dog.
The cars used by The Wallace Corporation are Lincolns.
During post production, on July 11th, 1981, Producer Michael Deeley and Director Ridley Scott were both "technically" fired from the original "Blade Runner" . "Blade Runner 2049" began filming exactly 35 years later on July 11th, 2016.
When Joi tells K "Four symbols make a man "A" "T" "G" and "C". She is referring to the letters that represent the four bases that make up DNA. "A" is Adenine, "T" is thymine, "G" for guanine and "C" for cytosine. When she says "I am two: 1 and 0" she is referring to the fact she is digital and therefore made of binary code "1"s and "0"s.
The movie begins in June of 2049, as seen by the onscreen date of K's first baseline exam.
The whole production was named "Triboro" during shooting.
At one point, the prostitute Mariette remarks about K's holographic girlfriend Joi, "Oh I see, you don't like real girls." Ryan Gosling starred in Lars and the Real Girl (2007), about a man's relationship with a sex doll he ordered on the Internet.
Jared Leto described the opportunity to be part of Blade Runner 2049 (2017) to be a great honor as being a fan of the original 1982 film at CinemaCon 2017 Leto elaborated on how Blade Runner (1982) influenced his life due to the film's cinematography, art direction, directing, music, and acting.
Two versions of the Baseline scene were filmed for the movie: the original scripted version, in which 'K' reads a small passage of Vladimir Nabokov 's Pale Fire, and a much longer take written by Ryan Gosling himself. It was a lengthy eight-minute staccato dialogue and Gosling delivered each take without hesitation for every camera angle.
K's overcoat reveals faint prison stripes in two scenes, around the 65 minute and 240 minute mark. This indicates he was imprisoned in his work.
Dr. Steline makes a cake reminiscent of the promised cake in the video game Portal. Like the original, the cake is not real.
Sylvia Hoeks plays a character named Luv. Coincidentally, there was a popular girl pop group called Luv' in the 70s and 80s in the Netherlands, where Hoeks is from.
Ryan Gosling (K) and Wood Harris (Nandez) both appeared in Remember the Titans(2000).
Both Ana de Armas (Joi) and Jared Leto (Niander Wallace) have previously starred in movies about gun running. For de Armas it was 'War Dogs,' and for Leto it was 'Lord of War.'
Freysa, the replicant revolutionary leader, says to K that he expects her to look up and to the left. This refers to the facial "tell" that a person is speaking the truth. One of the tells of when a person is lying is that they look up and to the right, which indicates that they are involved in creative 'right brain" thinking, in other words, lying.
Spoilers
A visual effects company worked for a full year on the scene where Rachael (Sean Young) appears exactly as she did 35 years ago in Blade Runner (1982). Stand-in actress Loren Peta acted out the scene, and her appearance was changed through computer-generated visual effects to resemble Young. Rachael's voice was provided by a sound double. Director Denis Villeneuve purposely limited the amount of Rachael's shots and gave the visual effects team ample time to work, in order to avoid the criticism that the digitally recreated Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) had drawn. He said that the result was "mesmerizing".
When K asks why Gaff believed Deckard was always going to end up leaving society, Gaff said "it was something in his eyes." This alludes to the running theory that Deckard is a replicant: in the original Blade Runner (1982), the Voight-Kampff test used to identify replicants focused intensely on the subject's eyes and pupil responses.
While shooting a fight scene, Harrison Ford accidentally punched Ryan Gosling in the face. As an apology to his co-star, Ford invited Gosling to share a bottle of scotch whisky with him.
After saying Deckard has retired, Gaff makes an origami sheep. This is of course a reference to the original source novel 'Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?' In that book, Deckard is saving for a real sheep for his wife, and muses that an android might hope for a manufactured animal. It is also a reference to Gaff's habit of making tiny origami sculptures out of little pieces of paper in the first film.
Deckard's first words to K are "You mightn't happen to have a piece of cheese about you," a quote from "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. In a deleted scene from the original Blade Runner (1982), Deckard visits Holden in the hospital and finds him reading Treasure Island.
Hampton Fancher was approached to write a script for this film. He agreed to write the sequel but in a novella format mixed with a screenplay. He wrote the 110-page novella script and then told them to leave him alone after that. According to Michael Green, who wrote the shooting draft, the script was called "Acid Zoo" and featured an ending in which Deckard died.
The final scene in the snow uses the "Tears in Rain" theme from the original, referencing Roy's death scene.
With her age at the time of filming (57 year old), Sean Young does not appear directly in the movie, but her character (the young Rachael) is recalled firstly with a picture and upgraded footage from Blade Runner (1982), and secondly played by a performance double (Loren Peta). Young was brought in personally to train Peta in reproducing Rachael's characteristic gait and mannerisms from the first movie. The scenes were filmed with minimal crew and in total secrecy, and Young's contribution was purposely denied in media campaigns. In fact, perhaps as misdirection, Young had previously revealed that she wasn't asked by the producers (including Ridley Scott) to appear in the film, and even requested fans to boycott the movie if she was not in it.
The music that activates Joi consists of the opening notes of Sergey Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf," a piece in which music (an artistic creation) represents different organic living creatures - a similar situation to Joi herself.
In the bible, Rachel gave birth to Joseph who is sold into slavery and later becomes an important patriarch of Israel. "Joe" is the name Joi suggests for K.
The name of the casino that Deckard is living in is "Vintage Casino." This would explain the analog roulette tables, as well as the old-school showroom with the Elvis Presley and showgirls holograms, and the jukebox with a Frank Sinatra hologram.
Both this movie and the original use eyes as a recurring motif: in the original Blade Runner the second shot is an extreme closeup of an eye. This is the first shot of Blade Runner 2049. In the original Blade Runner Roy and Leon visit Chew, the engineer who designed the Nexus 6 replicant's eyes. In Blade Runner 2049 the Nexus 8 replicants are identified by their eyes. Eldon Tyrell wears very large glasses and is murdered by Roy by having his skull crushed through his eyes. Niander Wallace is blind and relies on miniature drones to see.
In the scene where Mariette wakes up the morning after being with K, she sees the little wooden horse standing upright on the side table. The light let in from the window casts a shadow from the horse onto the table, which resembles a unicorn, an image prominent in the original film.
When K enters a building to find Deckard, the sign above the door reads, in reverse, "Haeng Un". This is Korean for "Good Luck". Cityspeak, the dialect we hear Gaffe (Edward James Olmos) speak in the original film, was comprised of many languages, including Korean.
Rachael dying sometime after the events of the original movie had previously been used in the 1995 follow-up novel "Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human." The main plot point of replicants procreating naturally had previously been used in the 1996 follow-up novel "Blade Runner: Replicant Night."
The original police spinner from the first movie is briefly seen when Deckard runs towards it to escape once Luv has discovered where he is hiding.
A scene features a malfunctioning hologram of the late Elvis Presley going in and out playing a song. While heard only in brief intervals, the song playing ("Suspicious Minds") contains lyrical content that closely match the events of the movie.
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Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard), Edward James Olmos (Gaff) and Sean Young (Rachael) are the only actors to reprise their roles from the original Blade Runner (1982).
When Scott talked about the sequel's story and what involvement Ford would have he went on to say: "We talked at length about what it could be, and came up with a pretty strong three-act storyline, and it all makes sense in terms of how it relates to the first one. Harrison is very much part of this one, but really it's about finding him; he comes in in the third act."
Harrison Ford doesn't appear on screen until 1 hour and 40 minutes into the movie.
Throughout the movie Niander Wallace and Luv call replicants "angels". It's a nod for Blade Runner (1982), in a scene where Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) said: "Fiery the angels fell; deep thunder rolled around their shores; burning with the fires of Orc". This is in turn a misquotation from (William Blake)'s poem "America" which reads, "Fiery the angels rose, and as they rose deep thunder roll'd. Around their shores: indignant burning with the fires of Orc."
Tears in Rain The theme that plays during the flight to the orphanage (probably marking the beginning of the second act), is a musical variation on the famous "Tears in Rain" melody by Vangelis, preparing us for the original that plays out during the ending scene.
While researching the DNA found on the baby's sock, K discovers the existence of faked twins (one male & one female child with the same DNA code). The girl is supposed to have died in the orphanage. Philip K. Dick, author of "Do androids dream of electric sheep", had a twin sister who died shortly after birth.
The tree in the photograph bears a resemblance to the logo of the Ladd Company, one of the producers of the original Blade Runner. Although the company's distinctive logo - a stylized computer rendering of a tree - was used on 14 movies the logo has long been associated with Blade Runner, much as MGM's rare stylized lion is associated with 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Jared Leto's character Niander Wallace is blind. Not only is this a reference to Oedipus Rex who blinds himself upon learning that he has had sex with his creator, but Niander Wallace's predecessor Dr. Eldon Tyrell had his eyes gouged out by a replicant in search of its/his creator.
The book K is reading, Vladimir Nabokov's PALE FIRE, is thematically relevant (in addition to supplying the text for his baseline). It is structured as an elaborate commentary to a poem, while the new film is an elaborate commentary on the themes of its predecessor. More tellingly, the author of the commentary, whose name also begins with K (Kinbote), believes he is secretly of exalted parentage, a belief which is almost certainly delusional.
Ryan Gosling (K) and Jared Leto (Niander Wallace) don't share a scene.
A theme of naturally bad human nature is commonly present in this film. One of the most prominent references is how Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a replicant, shows more purpose and emotion than all other humans throughout the movie. Officer K even denies orders, showing him to be more human than other humans in the movie
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At the orphanage, only the girls have long hair. All of the boys have shaved heads or very close cropped hair.
As the hologram of Elvis sings "Fools Rush In" in the rundown casino in which Deckard lives, Deckard notes that he "likes this song." Later, Wallace implies that Deckard is a replicant made by Tyrell and programmed to fall in love with Rachel. It should be noted that lyrics to "Fools Rush In" include the line, "I can't help falling in love with you."
6.10.21 is engraved on the root of the tree under which Rachel has been buried and on the foot of the wooden horse toy as a hint of both of the birthday of the "special" child and the date of death of Rachel. "Blade Runner: 2049" has been released on 6.10.17 (dd/mm/year date form in Europe) just ten years and one day after (5.10.2007) "Blade Runner: final cut" premiered in Los Angeles and New York.
The movie includes subtle references to the myth of Troy:
- Wallace is blind like Homer was believed to be, who wrote about the myth.
- Rachel's autopsy shows she broke her ilium bone. Ilium is the Latin for Ilion, the other name of Troy (hence Homer's title "Iliad").
- K's wooden horse is reminiscent of the Trojan horse, also made of wood.
-(STRONG SPOILER) Ana Stelline is a Trojan horse herself since she is in the middle of the system (providing replicants with memories) and will lead the replicants' uprising.
-Additional note: the names "K" and "Joe" for the hero are references to Kafka ("The Trial", "The Castle"), as noted elsewhere.
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Another possible interpretation for "Galatian Syndrome": In Galatians Chapter 4, Paul recalls the story of Abraham, who bore two sons - Isaac, by his wife Sarah, and Ishmael, by his slave woman, Hagar. Paul quotes Genesis 21:10, "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." Paul then implies that the Galatians are in danger of becoming slaves, as Hagar's descendants became. However, according to Christian legend, Ishmael was the founder of the Arab race or Muslim religion, just as his half-brother Isaac was the founder of the Hebrew race or Jewish religion. In both "Blade Runner" films, the replicants are referred to as being "slaves," and are the outcasts of human society. Therefore "Galatian Syndrome" would imply that Rachel's twins, having been born of a replicant mother, would be the outcasts of the human world, but possibly the founders of a new evolutionary race of replicants. (NOTE: In the original Blade Runner (1982), the replicant creator J.F. Sebastian says he suffers from "Methuselah Syndrome," a condition which makes him look older than he is. This is a reference to Methuselah, the oldest man in the Bible who, according to Genesis 5:27, lived to be 969 years old.)
When K asks why Gaff believed Deckard was always going to end up leaving society, Gaff said "it was something in his eyes." This alludes to the running theory that Deckard is a replicant: in the original Blade Runner (1982), the Voight-Kampff test used to identify replicants focused intensely on the subject's eyes and pupil responses.
While shooting a fight scene, Harrison Ford accidentally punched Ryan Gosling in the face. As an apology to his co-star, Ford invited Gosling to share a bottle of scotch whisky with him.
After saying Deckard has retired, Gaff makes an origami sheep. This is of course a reference to the original source novel 'Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?' In that book, Deckard is saving for a real sheep for his wife, and muses that an android might hope for a manufactured animal. It is also a reference to Gaff's habit of making tiny origami sculptures out of little pieces of paper in the first film.
Deckard's first words to K are "You mightn't happen to have a piece of cheese about you," a quote from "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. In a deleted scene from the original Blade Runner (1982), Deckard visits Holden in the hospital and finds him reading Treasure Island.
Hampton Fancher was approached to write a script for this film. He agreed to write the sequel but in a novella format mixed with a screenplay. He wrote the 110-page novella script and then told them to leave him alone after that. According to Michael Green, who wrote the shooting draft, the script was called "Acid Zoo" and featured an ending in which Deckard died.
The final scene in the snow uses the "Tears in Rain" theme from the original, referencing Roy's death scene.
With her age at the time of filming (57 year old), Sean Young does not appear directly in the movie, but her character (the young Rachael) is recalled firstly with a picture and upgraded footage from Blade Runner (1982), and secondly played by a performance double (Loren Peta). Young was brought in personally to train Peta in reproducing Rachael's characteristic gait and mannerisms from the first movie. The scenes were filmed with minimal crew and in total secrecy, and Young's contribution was purposely denied in media campaigns. In fact, perhaps as misdirection, Young had previously revealed that she wasn't asked by the producers (including Ridley Scott) to appear in the film, and even requested fans to boycott the movie if she was not in it.
The music that activates Joi consists of the opening notes of Sergey Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf," a piece in which music (an artistic creation) represents different organic living creatures - a similar situation to Joi herself.
In the bible, Rachel gave birth to Joseph who is sold into slavery and later becomes an important patriarch of Israel. "Joe" is the name Joi suggests for K.
The name of the casino that Deckard is living in is "Vintage Casino." This would explain the analog roulette tables, as well as the old-school showroom with the Elvis Presley and showgirls holograms, and the jukebox with a Frank Sinatra hologram.
Both this movie and the original use eyes as a recurring motif: in the original Blade Runner the second shot is an extreme closeup of an eye. This is the first shot of Blade Runner 2049. In the original Blade Runner Roy and Leon visit Chew, the engineer who designed the Nexus 6 replicant's eyes. In Blade Runner 2049 the Nexus 8 replicants are identified by their eyes. Eldon Tyrell wears very large glasses and is murdered by Roy by having his skull crushed through his eyes. Niander Wallace is blind and relies on miniature drones to see.
In the scene where Mariette wakes up the morning after being with K, she sees the little wooden horse standing upright on the side table. The light let in from the window casts a shadow from the horse onto the table, which resembles a unicorn, an image prominent in the original film.
When K enters a building to find Deckard, the sign above the door reads, in reverse, "Haeng Un". This is Korean for "Good Luck". Cityspeak, the dialect we hear Gaffe (Edward James Olmos) speak in the original film, was comprised of many languages, including Korean.
Rachael dying sometime after the events of the original movie had previously been used in the 1995 follow-up novel "Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human." The main plot point of replicants procreating naturally had previously been used in the 1996 follow-up novel "Blade Runner: Replicant Night."
The original police spinner from the first movie is briefly seen when Deckard runs towards it to escape once Luv has discovered where he is hiding.
A scene features a malfunctioning hologram of the late Elvis Presley going in and out playing a song. While heard only in brief intervals, the song playing ("Suspicious Minds") contains lyrical content that closely match the events of the movie.
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Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard), Edward James Olmos (Gaff) and Sean Young (Rachael) are the only actors to reprise their roles from the original Blade Runner (1982).
When Scott talked about the sequel's story and what involvement Ford would have he went on to say: "We talked at length about what it could be, and came up with a pretty strong three-act storyline, and it all makes sense in terms of how it relates to the first one. Harrison is very much part of this one, but really it's about finding him; he comes in in the third act."
Harrison Ford doesn't appear on screen until 1 hour and 40 minutes into the movie.
Throughout the movie Niander Wallace and Luv call replicants "angels". It's a nod for Blade Runner (1982), in a scene where Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) said: "Fiery the angels fell; deep thunder rolled around their shores; burning with the fires of Orc". This is in turn a misquotation from (William Blake)'s poem "America" which reads, "Fiery the angels rose, and as they rose deep thunder roll'd. Around their shores: indignant burning with the fires of Orc."
Tears in Rain The theme that plays during the flight to the orphanage (probably marking the beginning of the second act), is a musical variation on the famous "Tears in Rain" melody by Vangelis, preparing us for the original that plays out during the ending scene.
While researching the DNA found on the baby's sock, K discovers the existence of faked twins (one male & one female child with the same DNA code). The girl is supposed to have died in the orphanage. Philip K. Dick, author of "Do androids dream of electric sheep", had a twin sister who died shortly after birth.
The tree in the photograph bears a resemblance to the logo of the Ladd Company, one of the producers of the original Blade Runner. Although the company's distinctive logo - a stylized computer rendering of a tree - was used on 14 movies the logo has long been associated with Blade Runner, much as MGM's rare stylized lion is associated with 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Jared Leto's character Niander Wallace is blind. Not only is this a reference to Oedipus Rex who blinds himself upon learning that he has had sex with his creator, but Niander Wallace's predecessor Dr. Eldon Tyrell had his eyes gouged out by a replicant in search of its/his creator.
The book K is reading, Vladimir Nabokov's PALE FIRE, is thematically relevant (in addition to supplying the text for his baseline). It is structured as an elaborate commentary to a poem, while the new film is an elaborate commentary on the themes of its predecessor. More tellingly, the author of the commentary, whose name also begins with K (Kinbote), believes he is secretly of exalted parentage, a belief which is almost certainly delusional.
Ryan Gosling (K) and Jared Leto (Niander Wallace) don't share a scene.
A theme of naturally bad human nature is commonly present in this film. One of the most prominent references is how Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a replicant, shows more purpose and emotion than all other humans throughout the movie. Officer K even denies orders, showing him to be more human than other humans in the movie
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At the orphanage, only the girls have long hair. All of the boys have shaved heads or very close cropped hair.
As the hologram of Elvis sings "Fools Rush In" in the rundown casino in which Deckard lives, Deckard notes that he "likes this song." Later, Wallace implies that Deckard is a replicant made by Tyrell and programmed to fall in love with Rachel. It should be noted that lyrics to "Fools Rush In" include the line, "I can't help falling in love with you."
6.10.21 is engraved on the root of the tree under which Rachel has been buried and on the foot of the wooden horse toy as a hint of both of the birthday of the "special" child and the date of death of Rachel. "Blade Runner: 2049" has been released on 6.10.17 (dd/mm/year date form in Europe) just ten years and one day after (5.10.2007) "Blade Runner: final cut" premiered in Los Angeles and New York.
The movie includes subtle references to the myth of Troy:
- Wallace is blind like Homer was believed to be, who wrote about the myth.
- Rachel's autopsy shows she broke her ilium bone. Ilium is the Latin for Ilion, the other name of Troy (hence Homer's title "Iliad").
- K's wooden horse is reminiscent of the Trojan horse, also made of wood.
-(STRONG SPOILER) Ana Stelline is a Trojan horse herself since she is in the middle of the system (providing replicants with memories) and will lead the replicants' uprising.
-Additional note: the names "K" and "Joe" for the hero are references to Kafka ("The Trial", "The Castle"), as noted elsewhere.
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Another possible interpretation for "Galatian Syndrome": In Galatians Chapter 4, Paul recalls the story of Abraham, who bore two sons - Isaac, by his wife Sarah, and Ishmael, by his slave woman, Hagar. Paul quotes Genesis 21:10, "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." Paul then implies that the Galatians are in danger of becoming slaves, as Hagar's descendants became. However, according to Christian legend, Ishmael was the founder of the Arab race or Muslim religion, just as his half-brother Isaac was the founder of the Hebrew race or Jewish religion. In both "Blade Runner" films, the replicants are referred to as being "slaves," and are the outcasts of human society. Therefore "Galatian Syndrome" would imply that Rachel's twins, having been born of a replicant mother, would be the outcasts of the human world, but possibly the founders of a new evolutionary race of replicants. (NOTE: In the original Blade Runner (1982), the replicant creator J.F. Sebastian says he suffers from "Methuselah Syndrome," a condition which makes him look older than he is. This is a reference to Methuselah, the oldest man in the Bible who, according to Genesis 5:27, lived to be 969 years old.)
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