David Bowie was director Denis Villeneuve's first choice for the role of Niander Wallace, but he died before the start of shooting.
To make Joi (Ana de Armas) appear more artificial, editor Joe Walker experimented by freezing her image for nine frames just before she responds to a question. That way it looked like her program paused for a split second, as if her processor was briefly occupied in coming up with an answer. However, it felt corny and it was decided that her artificiality was already convincingly communicated through her fast costume changes and transparency.
Production designer 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.
The first letter of the names of each of the wooden animals that Rick Deckard carved in this movie: Rhino, Antelope, Cat, Horse, Elephant, Lion, spell "RACHEL".
As seen in this movie, 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.
According to the documentary Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007), director Ridley Scott had a totally different introduction in mind for Rick Deckard in Blade Runner (1982). In the end, he chose the noodles scene on the street to first show Harrison Ford as an ex-Blade Runner. Director Denis Villeneuve used that exact unused scene in this movie to introduce "K" (Ryan Gosling), which became the farm scene with the discovery of the tree.
For the scenes in Las Vegas, Nevada, director Denis Villeneuve called in the help of visual futurist Syd Mead. Mead's concepts for Blade Runner (1982) had been crucial for that film's unique futuristic version of L.A., so he was tasked to design a Las Vegas that could plausibly exist in the same universe. Villeneuve explained that this version of Las Vegas had become an abandoned ghost metropolis after radioactive fall-out made it uninhabitable for decades. For the dusted look, cinematographer Roger Deakins was inspired by a memory of seeing the Sydney Opera House in Australia after a dust storm. Villeneuve suggested adding the giant erotic statue.
Director Denis Villeneuve noted that he was fully aware of the immense pressure he was under, and how hardcore fans of Blade Runner (1982) view the prospect of a new movie: "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 [this film]. I love it too much, so I said, 'Alright, I will do it and give everything I have to make it great'."
"Blade Runner (1982)" is known for having three different cuts released throughout the years. When questioned about the possibility of a future alternative cut of his movie, director Denis Villeneuve stated that the theatrical cut is his only version. At one point, there was a four-hour rough cut of this movie that had been split into two parts for more convenient viewing, and the makers discovered that each part almost felt like a complete movie on its own. They briefly considered them as two separately titled movies, but Villeneuve decided that it should be cut down to just one definitive version.
There is a spot on the top of the small wooden horse's head where it looks as if a horn was located, but had since broken off. It is most clearly visible when "K" closely inspects the horse, ultimately leading him to Las Vegas, Nevada. This would mean that the horse was originally a unicorn, which is a clear reference to unicorn symbolism playing a crucial role in the original Blade Runner (1982), especially in the Director's and Final Cut.
(At around thirty-seven minutes) After saying Rick Deckard has retired, Gaff makes an origami sheep. This is, of course, a reference to the 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 origami sculptures out of pieces of paper in Blade Runner (1982).
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, Spain.
Three short films fill the gap between Blade Runner (1982) and this sequel. According to director Denis Villeneuve, they each depict a pivotal moment in the backstory. Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017) is the first in chronological order. Made by Shin'ichirô Watanabe, famous for his work on The Animatrix (2003), it deals with the 'Blackout' referred to in the movie. 2036: Nexus Dawn (2017) shows how Niander Wallace succeeds in reviving the Replicant industry. In 2048: Nowhere to Run (2017), Sapper Morton is identified, which kicks off this movie's plot. The last two films were directed by Luke Scott, Ridley Scott's son.
Rick 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 Blade Runner (1982), Deckard visits Dave Holden in the hospital and finds him reading "Treasure Island".
Executive producer Ridley Scott and director Denis Villeneuve cited this movie's length and slow pacing as the main reasons for its disappointing box-office results. Scott felt that the movie was at least thirty minutes too long, although he admitted that he was partially to blame since he provided input for the screenplay. Villeneuve said that while still proud of this movie, he realized afterwards that he had made "the most expensive art house movie in cinema history", and knew it would be a huge financial risk. He admitted that the running time and a marketing strategy that gave away minimal plot elements may have scared away audiences, especially people less familiar with Blade Runner (1982).
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 an apt description of a Blade Runner's job.
Signs visible in the movie include 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 explained that both movies take place in an alternate universe in which these companies remained corporate powerhouses and other companies like Apple did not exist. Ryan Gosling described it as a future in which Steve Jobs never existed, so all technology focuses on function rather than esthetics.
The final scene in the snow uses the "Tears in Rain" theme from Blade Runner (1982), referencing Roy Batty's death scene.
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.
The giant Joi in the hologram advertisement was supposed to be her "default" setting, the idea being that "K" customized her voice and appearance to a less sexualized version. The advertisement version of Joi was not voiced by Ana de Armas, but first assistant editor Mary Lukasiewicz. She recorded a temporary voice-over, but the producers decided to keep it in the finished movie.
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 had 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."
When Joi searches around Rick Deckard's place, there is ambient noise which was heard in Deckard's apartment in Blade Runner (1982) and was also used as background noise in the medical bay in Alien (1979).
The fight scene between "K" and Rick Deckard (nicknamed the "Hologram Funhouse" by the crew) was the most difficult sequence to edit, because it involved two fighting actors and many dancing holograms, and their movements had to match up between shots. After many months of editing, director Denis Villeneuve thought it looked too much like a variety act, and the scene was nearly deleted altogether until editor Joe Walker re-cut it as a very tense manhunt, deleting the music and most of the shots of holograms. Shots of dead or broken holograms and their faltering sounds were kept in as much as possible, to add to the tension in the scene.
Two versions of the Baseline scene were filmed: 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. It was a lengthy eight-minute staccato dialogue and Gosling delivered each take without hesitation for every camera angle.
Edward James Olmos - who is of Hungarian descent - famously improvised a line in Hungarian in Blade Runner (1982). He mentions that Rick Deckard is now "nyugdíjas" (retired). He repeats the word to K in this movie as well. Furthermore, an old Hungarian woman is heard ranting in the hallways of K's apartment building. Most of this movie was filmed in Budapest, Hungary.
Security and secrecy throughout the production were so 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 an approved Omaze video. To prevent the ending from being leaked, it was communicated verbally, and not included in the scripts handed out to the actors and actresses. According to actor Lennie James, other security measures included such things as when actors and actresses being considered for supporting roles were given scripts, they were required to decide whether to accept within thirty-six hours. The scripts were incomplete, mostly the first twenty pages, and a random number of pages that included their characters (in James' case, he was shown the twenty pages after his last scene). Once an actor or actress accepted the offer, the full script was given. Everyone was subject to a non-disclosure agreement, with heavy penalties for violation. Actors and actresses were searched at entry points to the sets. Cell phones and cameras were forbidden. For each shooting day, actors and actresses were required to sign on the sides for the day when given, and again when returning them, as they were not allowed to keep the sides. Failure to return them would result in not being allowed to leave the set at the end of the day. Digital scripts could only be opened on one device, copy-protected, and were deleted automatically after a certain number of hours (in James' case it was nine hours after he completed filming his scenes).
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who had worked with director Denis Villeneuve on Prisoners (2013), Sicario (2015), and Arrival (2016), was attached to compose the music for this movie. He had started work on a score that featured his unique signature, but in August 2017, he dropped out of the project because Villeneuve and the producers preferred a score that would more resemble Vangelis's music from Blade Runner (1982). Composer Hans Zimmer, along with Benjamin Wallfisch, was hired to replace Jóhannsson.
The name of the casino in which Rick Deckard is living is "Vintage Casino". This would explain the analogue roulette tables, as well as the old-school showroom with the Elvis Presley and showgirls holograms, and the jukebox with a Frank Sinatra hologram. Presley and Sinatra have been featured in "live" concerts since their deaths, appearing as movie clips and voice-only recordings while live musicians performed behind them.
With executive producer 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 this movie. Director 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 last cut, the 'Final Cut' version. So between all of the different cuts, for me it's the first and the last that I'm more inspired by."
The loud and jarring "motorcycle" noise that appears throughout the score began as a male choir sample that composer Benjamin Wallfisch repeatedly ran through a series of electronic filters until it sounded mechanical.
This movie earned cinematographer Roger Deakins his first Academy Award for Best Cinematography, after having been nominated thirteen previous times without winning.
Sony Pictures, which handled worldwide distribution of this movie, incurred the wrath of the Film Critics Association of Turkey (S.I.Y.A.D.) when it defended its decision to supply Turkey with a self-censored version of the movie, deleting all instances of nudity, by stating that it was done out of "respect for the local culture." S.I.Y.A.D. 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 moviegoers in Turkey to assume them to be disturbed by any sign of nudity whatsoever."
The character name Ana Stelline is a pun on "anastellin", a human anti-angiogenic 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.
Director Denis Villeneuve experienced immense pressure to do this sequel right, especially when executive producer Ridley Scott (who also directed Blade Runner (1982)) was on-set. Scott's presence became nearly unbearable when it was time to direct Harrison Ford, so Villeneuve finally asked Scott how he would feel if his favorite director, Ingmar Bergman, was looking over his shoulder while directing. Scott had a good laugh over it, but understood and left the set. Villeneuve later credited Scott with leaving him alone for most of the shoot, and giving him full freedom to direct this movie as he pleased, only offering advice when Villeneuve asked for it.
(At around one hour and thirty minutes) When 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 Blade Runner (1982).
The greenhouses at Sapper Morton's farm bear the word "Tselina". It's a reference to Nikita Khrushchev's "Virgin Lands" ("Osvoyeniye Tselina") campaign in the Soviet Union, when citizens were moved to sparsely populated lands to start farms and grow food. This is the first example of the mix of various languages used throughout the movie.
(At around one hour and fifty-five minutes) The original police spinner from Blade Runner (1982) is briefly seen when Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) runs towards it to escape once Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) has discovered where he is hiding.
When "K" (Ryan Gosling) enters the hall where he first meets Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), we hear the same bell sounds as when Deckard enters the Bradbury Building for the final showdown with Pris (Daryl Hannah) and Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) in Blade Runner (1982).
Rachael dying sometime after the events of Blade Runner (1982) had been used in the 1995 follow-up novel "Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human". The main plot point of replicants procreating naturally had been used in the 1996 follow-up novel "Blade Runner: Replicant Night".
At one point, Mariette says, "More human than humans", referring to replicants. In Blade Runner (1982), when Dr. Eldon Tyrell meets Rick Deckard, he says, "More human than human", referring to replicants, as a slogan of the Tyrell Corporation.
Although there is no shortage of digitally-created elements in this movie, amounting to a total of 1,150 visual effects shots, director Denis Villeneuve insisted on shooting on real sets on real locations as much as possible for authenticity. For example, the solar farms in the beginning were filmed at a thermosolar power station near Seville, Spain, while Sapper Morton's farm was filmed in Iceland. Mexico City doubled for a hazy shot of Los Angeles in the distance. The orphanage and surrounding wastelands were largely filmed with extensive miniature models. Most of the filming was done in Budapest, Hungary, with many of the sets only a minute's walk from one another, and real cityscapes are visible through windows. Greenscreen shots were done sparingly, usually to extend horizons or add elements to a shot.
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.
(At around fifty-eight minutes) 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.
The name of Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright), the superior to whom "K" (Ryan Gosling) reports, means simply "boss" or "superior" in Japanese.
For director Denis Villeneuve, there are two versions of Blade Runner (1982). The theatrical cut is the story of a human being falling in love with a replicant, and the Final Cut is a story of a replicant that discovers its true identity. As for this movie, in Villeneuve's own words, it is made from the tension between those two versions.
Niander Wallace is the creator of the newest line of Replicants. His first name is a direct hint to the 'Homo neandertalensis' or the Neanderthals, which was a species of humans that were parallel to what became the dominant Homo species. Homo neandertalensis lived alongside the Homo sapiens (the modern human), but the latter turned out to be the more efficient species. Neanderthals became extinct and Homo sapiens became the dominant human species. The name Niander could symbolize that Wallace - being a human - is a member of a dying race. The humans (the Neandertals in this story) live alongside the Replicants (Homo sapiens) which are stronger and will eventually outlive their human masters.
When K enters a building to find Rick Deckard, the sign above the door reads, in reverse, "Haeng Un", Korean for "Good Luck". Cityspeak, which Gaff speaks in Blade Runner (1982), was comprised of many languages, including Korean.
Executive producer Ridley Scott claimed that the opening scene of "K"'s (Ryan Gosling) confrontation with Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista) was an alternate beginning of "Blade Runner (1982)," which would have featured Rick Deckard, and that much of the original script for the scene was used, as well as Scott's original storyboards.
Originally, at the early development stage of the project, Ridley Scott was set to take on directorial duties. By the time this movie was getting close to pre-production, however, he announced he would no longer take the helm, but would stay involved as a producer. Specifics weren't given by Scott as to why he dropped out of directing this movie. Oddly enough, a report came out in August 2014 that Alien: Covenant (2017) may be getting delayed because Scott planned to helm this movie after The Martian (2015), which was in production at the time. However, it seems that Scott's commitment to Alien: Covenant (2017) may have forced him to step away from directing this movie.
The name of "K"'s apartment building is "Mobius 21". Jean 'Moebius' Giraud's (Moebius') graphic short story "The Long Tomorrow" (published in "Metal Hurlant" in France and "Heavy Metal" in the U.S.) was an early influence on the look of Blade Runner (1982).
Jared Leto used Silicon Valley tech investors and inventors that he personally knows as examples of how Niander Wallace would behave.
(At around fifty-nine minutes) 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 movie, 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 (1982).
In the casino, Joi is wearing a clear jacket, much like the one worn by Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) in Blade Runner (1982).
The replicant rebel leader Freysa Sadeghpour (Hiam Abbass) 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 or discovered.
(At around one hour and forty-five minutes) A scene features a malfunctioning hologram of 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 matches the events of this movie.
When executive producer Ridley Scott talked about this movie's story and what involvement Harrison Ford would have, he said, "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."
Hampton Fancher 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 Blade Runner (1982). Denis Villeneuve said in an interview in "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."
Throughout this movie, Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) and Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) call replicants "angels". It's a nod to 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."
Soldier (1998) was written by David Webb Peoples, who also co-wrote the screenplay to Blade Runner (1982). He has always maintained that Soldier was set in the same universe as Blade Runner, and this movie 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 Sergeant Todd 3465 (Kurt Russell) onto the off-world colony Arcadia, the primary setting of Soldier (1998). Since this movie happens over a decade after Soldier, the scows have minor modifications - though they are immediately recognizable to the eagle-eyed viewer.
Director 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 Québec, 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."
The term "Blade Runner" is not part of Philip K. Dick's original novel "Do Androids Dreams of Electric Sheep?" It is the title of a 1974 novel written by Alan Nourse.
Ana de Armas had no problem performing the nude scenes, but she refused to cut her hair short for the role. So they used a wig instead.
Policeman "K"'s serial number is KD6-3.7, so it is P KD6-3.7. This pays homage to author Philip K. Dick (P.K.D.).
Production designer Dennis Gassner came up with the idea to put a giant "Moebius" sign on "K"'s apartment rooftop as an homage to graphic artist Jean 'Moebius' Giraud (Moebius), whose work greatly inspired Ridley Scott on Blade Runner (1982).
Prostitute Mariette (Mackenzie Davis) dresses similarly to the pleasure model replicant Pris (Daryl Hannah) from Blade Runner (1982) (fur coat, short skirt, black boots, mop hairstyle).
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's predecessor, Dr. Eldon Tyrell, had his eyes gouged out by a replicant in search of its/his creator.
Harrison Ford, Edward James Olmos, and Sean Young are the only actors to reprise their roles from Blade Runner (1982).
A theme of human nature being naturally bad is present in this movie. One of the most prominent references is how Officer "K", a replicant, shows more purpose and emotion than all of the other humans throughout the movie. Officer "K" even disobeys orders, showing him to be more human than other humans in this movie.
Another interpretation of Gaff's origami sheep: "Rachael" is the Hebrew word for "ewe", a female sheep.
An alternative title considered was "Blade Runner: Time to Live", which was a play on words that is a call back to Roy Batty's "time to die" line from Blade Runner (1982).
On August 25, 2016, a construction worker was killed while dismantling one of the sets at Origo Studios.
Ultimately, director Denis Villeneuve says he signed on "because I feel that I can do it", and he expanded a bit on how he'd be approaching this movie. "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."
Jared Leto travelled to Budapest, Hungary, in September 2016 to film his scenes, and was done in just under two weeks.
Jared Leto was introduced to Denis Villeneuve by his close friend Jean-Marc Vallée, who had directed Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013).
In the scene showing the ruins of Las Vegas, Nevada, you can clearly spot modified versions of the Luxor and MGM Grand casinos, including actual signs and decorations.
According to producer Cynthia Sikes, the production was able to shave $1 million off of its budget by deciding to build a giant water tank in Budapest, Hungary and not in Malta. Most of the production was already taking place in Budapest, so building the set there meant not having to pay to transport the 230 crew members to Malta to work on this section of this movie. The water tank was built for the climactic fight scene between "K" (Ryan Gosling) and Luv (Sylvia Hoeks).
Jared Leto worked with the organization Junior Blind of America to research blindness in preparation for the role of Niander Wallace.
Ridley Scott started the production and was set to direct, but in the end, he turned down the project due to scheduling conflicts with Alien: Covenant (2017). He remained, however, as executive producer and creative consultant.
Sony Pictures Entertainment/Columbia Pictures were not involved with Blade Runner (1982). In fact, in 1982, Columbia Pictures was owned by the Coca-Cola Company. Sony's participation in this movie is due to its purchase of Embassy Pictures, one of the companies that produced Blade Runner (1982).
Sylvia Hoeks is the second Dutch actor or actress to be cast in a "Blade Runner" movie as a villainous replicant. Rutger Hauer played Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982).
Last movie of visual futurist Syd Mead, who had also done extensive design work on Blade Runner (1982). Mead died in 2019.
This was the second time Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch worked together in 2017. They previously collaborated on Dunkirk (2017). However, Zimmer composed most of the music for Dunkirk (2017), while Wallfisch contributed with sounds on some tracks.
In June 2009, "The New York Times" reported that Ridley Scott and his brother, Tony Scott, were working on a Blade Runner (1982) prequel, "Purefold", set in 2019. The prequel was planned as a series of five to ten-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 Blade Runner (1982). 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 Bud Yorkin was developing a new "Blade Runner" movie. It was also reported that Christopher Nolan was desired as director.
(At around nineteen minutes) Ana de Armas is Cuban. This is noted as Joi's "ethnicity" (the character she portrays) when "K" enables the emanator and next to her projection appears a list of her characteristics: height, body type, face type, skin tone, eye color, lip color, hair color, hair style, ethnicity, and language.
This movie was released in the U.S. on October 6, 2017, just ten years and one day after the Final Cut version of Blade Runner (1982) premiered in Los Angeles, California. It also premiered thirty-five years after the release of the original in 1982.
(At around one hour and fifty minutes) When they meet for the first time, "K" (Ryan Gosling) asks Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) if his pet dog is real. In Blade Runner (1982), when Deckard finds Zhora (Joanna Cassidy), one of the replicants he's been ordered to retire, working in a strip club, he asks her the same question about the snake she uses in her act.
(At around eleven minutes) After Officer "K" (Ryan Gosling) scans Sapper Morton's (Dave Bautista's) eyes in his car, a list of replicants appears on the car's screen. One of the replicants is Sarah Gadon, with whom director Denis Villeneuve worked on Enemy (2013).
At two hours and forty-four minutes, this movie is forty-seven minutes longer than Blade Runner (1982), which ran one hour and fifty-seven minutes.
Rutger Hauer, who played Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982), was no fan of this sequel, stating that he felt that "It looks great but I struggle to see why that film was necessary. I just think if something is so beautiful, you should just leave it alone and not make another film. [...] It's not a character-driven movie and there's no humor, there's no love, there's no soul. You can see the homage to the original. But that's not enough for me."
For Christmas 2018, filmmaker Martin Villeneuve brought his older brother Denis Villeneuve back a bunch of magazines (Fantastic Films and Starlog) that he happened to find by chance in their parents' basement. It was Denis' first contact with Blade Runner (1982) and Dune (1984) back in the early 1980s. Coincidentally, the still photographer who had taken the pictures of Blade Runner (1982) that Denis discovered around thirty-seven years ago, Stephen Vaughan, died on December 31, 2018, but his art lives on. Here's the exact quote from Denis: "Blade Runner is 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 Québec 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." Stephen Vaughan was also the still photographer on this movie.
European science fiction magazine "Métal Hurlant", considered revolutionary in the comic book field during the 1970s and 1980s, 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", was a production designer on Mars and April (2012). This independent science fiction romance, which paid tribute to "Métal Hurlant" in many ways, was a movie by Martin Villeneuve, the younger brother of Denis Villeneuve, who directed this movie. Métal Hurlant is known in the English-speaking world as Heavy Metal magazine. Among other things, the art of Métal Hurlant also inspired much of the designs in both The Fifth Element (1997) and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017).
Critics who saw this movie before its release were asked by director Denis Villeneuve not to reveal certain characters and plot points.
The Wallace corporations immense wealth is shown by their building interiors, adorned with themes of wood, water, and natural sunlight.
Jared Leto described the opportunity to be part of this movie to be a great honor as being a fan of Blade Runner (1982) at CinemaCon 2017. Leto elaborated on how Blade Runner (1982) influenced his life due to the movie's cinematography, art direction, directing, music, and acting.
The cast includes one Oscar winner: Jared Leto; and four Oscar nominees: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Edward James Olmos, and Barkhad Abdi.
Harrison Ford's last day on-set happened to be for the scene that is Rick Deckard's final appearance in this movie.
The lead character played by Ryan Gosling is referred to as "K", and is later given the name "Joe". The central character of Franz Kafka's novel "The Trial", about an innocent man being persecuted by people and forces beyond his control, is called "Joseph K."
(at around 2h) Freysa Sadeghpour (Hiam Abbass), the replicant revolutionary leader, says to "K" (Ryan Gosling) that he expects her to look up and to the left. The obvious reason is that this would reveal her replicant serial number, but it also refers to the facial "tell" that a person is speaking the truth. One of the signs of when a person is lying is that he or she looks up and to the right, which indicates involvement in creative "right brain" thinking - in other words, lying. Looking up and to the left is indicative of accessing memory, alluding to the artificial nature of the replicant.
(At around one hour and fifty-five minutes) The Frank Sinatra hologram in Rick Deckard's penthouse apartment was an homage to producer Cynthia Sikes' late husband, Bud Yorkin, who directed Frank Sinatra in his (Yorkin's) first movie, Come Blow Your Horn (1963). Yorkin was also one of the producers on the original Blade Runner (1982) and this sequel.
The machine "K" uses to scan DNA records is a lightly, cosmetically modified 35mm "Moviola". For many decades these machines were the industry standard for film and soundtrack editing.
In the first film Deckard and Rachael flee into an open elevator. In this film when K interrogates him about Rachael, Deckard hesitates while being symmetrically framed in front of a closed elevator, a sign he is done running: the elevators closed; he then confesses to K.
Jared Leto made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 29, 2017, to promote this movie at the Warner Bros. panel and to introduce new footage. He appeared alongside Ana de Armas and director Denis Villeneuve. Ryan Gosling also appeared at the convention to present new footage at the Sony Pictures panel.
(At around fifty-five minutes) 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 that she is digital, and therefore made up of binary code which consists of 1s and 0s.
When K goes out to the orphanage and discovers the missing pages from the directory, he spins the ashtray around, literally showing us the 'smoking gun' evidence.
The first joint venture between Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures since Something's Gotta Give (2003).
Director Denis Villeneuve worked with David Dastmalchian on Prisoners (2013). Ryan Gosling also auditioned for that same movie, but Jake Gyllenhaal was cast instead.
The notification sound heard on Joe's phone is a small section of Peter and the Wolf Op. 67, composed in 1936 by Sergei Prokofiev. David Bowie narrated the classical composition in 1978's, "David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf". Denis Villeneuve considered Bowie for the part of Niander Wallace before his death.
During post-production on Blade Runner (1982), on July 11, 1981, producer Michael Deeley and director Ridley Scott were both "technically" fired. This movie began shooting exactly 35 years later, on July 11, 2016.
(At around forty-six minutes) At one point, Mariette remarks about "K"'s holographic girlfriend Joi, "Oh, I see, you don't like real girls." Gosling starred in Lars and the Real Girl (2007), about a man's relationship with a sex doll he ordered on the Internet.
We never know what happens to Niander Wallace. His fate will remain unknown until a possible Blade Runner 3 happens.
The coat Lennie James' orphanage keeper wears bears a marked resemblance to that worn by Mr. Bumble, the dreaded orphanage keeper, in the musical film Oliver! (1968) based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist".
Sallie Harmsen's first English language movie despite not having any dialogue in the movie. She is a real-life friend of Sylvia Hoeks who plays Luv.
(At around one hour and eighteen minutes) Dr. Ana Stelline (Carla Juri) makes a cake reminiscent of the promised cake in the video game Portal (2007). Like the original, the cake is not real.
1st sequel to a classic science fiction movie which Mackenzie Davis played a cyborg. 2 years after Blade Runner 2049's cinema release, Mackenzie Davis starred in Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) which is a sequel to The Terminator (1984). In the film, Mackenzie Davis plays Grace Harper, a rebel warrior from the year 2042 who has been enhanced and has had parts of her body replaced with cybernetics.
The famous "Ribbon" chairs by Pierre Paulin for Dutch furniture company Artifort are seen at approximately thirty minutes in the first scene with Luv (played by Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks).
The third science fiction movie of the 2010s which is a long awaited sequel to a classic science fiction movie, in which the protagonist of the original film has vanished and is found by younger characters. The first was TRON: Legacy (2010) and the other was Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard) played Han Solo in the Star Wars film franchise.
At the orphanage, when Mister Cotton (Lennie James) blows his whistle twice to the children, the two tones sound suspiciously like the whistle that Negan and the Saviors use as a callsign from The Walking Dead (2010), a show that Lennie James also stars in as Morgan Jones.
Joi refers to a song that was released in 1966 on Reprise Records. Reprise is a label of Warner Bros. It began as the label for Frank Sinatra. The song is Summer Wind, from his highly popular album, Strangers in the Night.
Sylvia Hoeks, who is from the Netherlands, played a character named Luv. This is unintentionally funny to some older Dutch people, as there was a popular girl pop group called Luv in the 1970s and 1980s in The Netherlands.
Luv is likely named because she is "loved" by her creator and the hologram Joi because she is programmed to bring "joy" to her owners.
A Korean sign shown on the opposite side of "K"'s balcony reads "Dok-Su-Ri-Bah", or "Eagle Bar". Perhaps it means "eagle's nest", where "K" is a predator.
This movie was released two years after Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). In that movie, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has vanished and is found living on a watery planet by Rey (Daisy Ridley). In this movie, Officer "K" (Ryan Gosling) finds Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has vanished and finds he is living in the remains of Las Vegas, Nevada. Ford also played Han Solo in the Star Wars film franchise.
The file clerk says "thicky milk" then in the next shot Luv is pouring tea (without milk, mind you).
Ana de Armas and Jared Leto have previously appeared in movies about gun running. For de Armas it was War Dogs (2016) and for Leto it was Lord of War (2005).
Robin Wright is famous for playing Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump (1994). At the end of that movie, when her character Jenny dies from an unknown illness, Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has her buried under a tree. In this movie, Officer "K" discovers a box buried beneath a tree containing the skeletal remains of female replicant Rachael.
Wallace quotes the Bible (King James Version), Genesis 30:22 "And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb"