Brian Gallagher / Movie Web
We’ve heard a lot about Warner Bros.’ Untitled Blade Runner Project lately, since director Denis Villeneuve has been busy promoting his new thriller Sicario. The filmmaker revealed last week that he wants to honor Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner, while bringing something new to the iconic sci-fi story. It was confirmed back in May that legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins has come aboard the Untitled Blade Runner Project, reuniting with Denis Villeneuve after their work on Sicario and 2013’s Prisoners. During an interview with Collider, Roger Deakins revealed that, while he loves the original film, this follow-up won’t necessarily have the same visual style.
“I think the look of the film is an organic process. You don’t just look at the script and it comes in your head. While I think the original film is wonderful, this is not the original film… visually it doesn’t have to be anything like the original. It has to stand by itself, and its particular script and its particular story. The original was wonderfully shot, but to me, the most powerful thing about the original film is the death of, what’s the actor’s name… Rutger Hauer’s death in the rain with the white pigeon. And then you watch the documentary about the making of the film and realize that was all something that was kind of created on the day.”
Roger Deakins is arguably one of the best cinematographers in the business, racking up an impressive 12 Oscar nominations over a 40-year career. The one genre he hasn’t tackled yet, though is sci-fi, and Denis Villeneuve revealed last week that it took him “about 2.5 seconds” to convince Roger Deakins to come aboard. The cinematographer revealed that the material he’s often offered is more “science-fantasy” than true science-fiction, and that he jumped at the chance to work on Blade Runner 2.
Harrison Ford is confirmed to reprise his iconic role as Rick Deckard, with Denis Villeneuve recently stating that this film will reveal, once and for all, if he is a Replicant or not. Original Blade Runner writer Hampton Fancher co-wrote the script with Michael Green, based on an idea by Fancher and Ridley Scott, who is serving as a producer. What do you think of these new details? Chime in with your thoughts, and you can also take a look at the original Blade Runner scene Roger Deakins refers to in his interview.