Blade Runner came out in theaters over 30 years ago, but that long period of time isn’t stopping a revisit to this dystopian cyberpunk world. While Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Rick Deckard, Blade Runner 2 is primarily filling up with new names. The latest newcomer to join the ranks is Knock Knock star Ana de Armas.
This casting announcement comes from The Wrap, which reports that Ana de Armas will have a leading role in the movie. Beyond that, no character details were provided, but you’ll be seeing a lot of her once the movie hits theaters. Armas’ character is likely one of the three previously reported key female roles, one of which was already snatched by House of Cards star Robin Wright. Along with Ford, de Armas and Wright, Blade Runner 2’s cast so far consists of Ryan Gosling and Dave Bautista, but just like with de Armas, details regarding the new people are being kept under wraps.
After appearing in Spanish-language movies and TV shows, like Sex, Party and Lies and The Boarding School, Ana de Armas’ first major English-language project was the 2015 movie Knock Knock, appearing alongside Keanu Reeves. She reunited with Reeves for Exposed, and her other upcoming projects include Hands of Stone, War Dogs and the French blockbuster Overdrive. It’s safe to assume, however, that Blade Runner 2 will be her biggest appearance yet.
Without anymore details, it’s impossible to say whether Ana de Armas’ character will be a human or a Replicant in Blade Runner 2, but because she’s one of the leads, it’s a good bet she’ll have at least some interactions with Rick Deckard. Maybe she’ll be one of his new human allies or maybe she’ll be a Replicant who seeks him out for unknown reasons. I’m leaning towards the latter, but until Warner Bros releases more story details, feel free to speculate in the comments section.
Taking place 30 years after 1982’s Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2 will continue the story of an Earth which has genetically-engineered beings known as Replicants, who look just like humans and were created by the Tyrell Corporation. Despite being exiled from Earth for menial word on off-world colonies, some Replicants manage to get back to Earth, forcing them to be hunted down and "retired" by special police officers known as Blade Runners. The original movie followed Rick Deckard, a Blade Runner who took one last assignment before leaving the job, but soon got caught in a mysterious conspiracy. We’ll find out what he’s up to three decades later, as well as learn how these new folks fit into the sequel.
Blade Runner 2 is being directed by Sicario’s Denis Villenueve, taking over for Ridley Scott, who will still act as a producer. Blade Runner co-writer Hampton Fancher worked with Michael Green on the script. Originally set for January 2018, it’s now set to hit theaters on October 6, 2017. We’ll keep you updated on any more developments surrounding the production.
