When it comes to the upcoming sequel to Ridley Scott’s all-time classic Blade Runner, it’s difficult not to feel a blend of excitement and fear. The original Blade Runner was released in 1982 and has since lived on as one of the most iconic science-fiction films of all time. Instead of opting for a reboot, like we’ve seen happen with countless other films from many years ago, Blade Runner 2 is set to serve as a direct sequel, even including Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard.
Blade Runner 2 was originally scheduled for release on Jan. 12, 2018, but according to a press release today, that is no longer the case. The new release date for Blade Runner 2 is Oct. 6, 2017. Interestingly enough, that was originally the release date that Warner Bros. had given The Jungle Book: Origins, which was delayed recently. The film, directed by Denis Villeneuve of Sicario fame, is set to star Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Dave Bautista and Robin Wright, but that’s about all that is publicly known about the film just yet.
For many fans the release of Blade Runner 2 is bittersweet, considering that Blade Runner was based off novelist Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (albeit loosely). Dick never penned another book about Rick Deckard or Replicants, but in 1995, K. W. Jeter did release a novel called Blade Runner 2, which never seemed to catch on compared to the original. It seems safe to assume that the film Blade Runner 2 will look to simply continue the story told in the first movie and not take any cues from outside literature. That’s what is both exciting and scary.
(Via SlashFilm)
