Blade Runner 2 is one of the most anticipated sequels due to the lasting legacy of the original movie. The director of the film, Denis Villeneuve was recently interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter during the press tour for his new film 'Arrival'. Villeneuve described his process for working on the film as well as his experience working with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford in the new film:
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(Interviewer)What does it mean for your life to be 100 percent Blade Runner?
(Denis) I wake up at six, I get to bed at midnight, it’s like seven days a week and you dream about it. Very often I wake up in the middle of the night, and I know I’m doomed, because I know I won’t go back to bed, because I’m too excited, there’s so much work. So I don’t sleep a lot. So that’s why if you ask me what I’m going to do after Blade Runner, I’m going to sleep.
With Blade Runner, will the visual language pay tribute to the original, or will it be something completely your own? Do you feel pressure to live up to the original?
First of all, it’s not possible to live up to the original. It’s Ridley Scott. It’s a masterpiece. It’s one of the best sci-fi films, one of the best films in the past 50 years.
For me, what terrorizes me right now is what I’m doing is taking Blade Runner and making it my own, and that is horrific. To realize that when I look at the dailies, it’s not Ridley Scott, it’s me, and that it’s different. It’s still the same universe, we are still in the same dream, but it’s mine, so it’s like I have no idea how you people will react, I don’t know. It has its own life."
Villeneuve was then asked about how it was like to work with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, respectively:
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I must say, the thing I can say is that Ryan Gosling is insanely good. I’m very impressed by that actor. It’s the first time I’ve worked with him and I never had someone that was as much a trooper, as dedicated, as precise and engaged. I feel that he is a real partner with me. I said to him, "You know, we are going to do it together and it’s like walking in a dark room with a lighter trying to find the way out. It’s a huge room and we are alone and it’s dark and it’s cold." And he said, "Yeah, I understand exactly." But we have a lot of fun.
It’s funny because very often we say that nobody realizes that a bunch of Canadians took over Blade Runner. We are, like, covert, nobody knows. I knew he was a great actor, I didn’t know how brilliant — he’s really an intelligent person, very clever, very provocative mind, he’s bringing a lot to the project right now, a lot, in a positive way. I’m very excited about it."
(When discussing Ford:)It’s a long shoot, and I started prep with him, but I didn’t start to shoot with him. But I will say that Harrison, to my great relief … you know Harrison Ford, he was one of my biggest heroes. I grew up with him, so to meet a man like that who is kind of a legend in your heart, that has that kind of humility, generosity, open-mindedness and simplicity, one of the nicest human beings I’ve met. I’m really looking forward to start working with him."
In summary, it appears as though production on Blade Runner 2 is going extremely well. It is a very good sign that the director is as dedicated as he is to the film. It appears as though Harrison Ford has not filmed his role in the film yet, although he has already started some prep work. In lieu of plot information, this description of the actors preparation is encouraging news.
The plot of Blade Runner 2 is currently under a tight lid of secrecy, although it is known that the movie will be set several decades after the original. The sequel will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, and the film will be written by Michael Green and Hampton Fancher. Harrison Ford will be returning for the sequel. Several notable cast members that will star alongside Ford are Dave Bautista and Jared Leto.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
