If you've ever believed that your favorite TV show or film franchise was dead, then the last two years must be a particular exciting time. Because with the trend of nostalgia ruling the world of entertainment, reboots and long awaited sequels are everywhere. From TV shows like Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and Fuller House, to movie franchises like Independence Day and Star Wars, you can't turn a corner without stumbling upon a revitalized franchise. And perhaps no reboot is quite as exciting as Blade Runner 2049, the highly anticipated sequel to 1982's Blade Runner. Fans of the sci-fi classic can't wait for the new film to hit theaters, and now it appears that another sequel may already be planned.
Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve recently sat down with Screen Daily about the upcoming sequel. In addition to revealing that Blade Runner 2049 will likely receive an R-Rating, Villeneuve also said that he's got plenty ideas for future installments of the franchise.
I love sci-fi. I have two more ideas now that I would love to do. [And] Blade Runner could go on... we'll see how this one goes.
That's right, folks. If Blade Runner 2049 ends up being a financial success, there are plenty of ideas left to continue making more sequels. Cue the applause from every sci-fi nerd ever.
This is relatively huge news for fans of the 1982 film. Blade Runner has been praised as one of the most significant sci-fi movies of all time, even being immortalized by the United States National Film Registry due to its significance in both plot and affects. So finally receiving a sequel over 30 years after the original is major news. But the concept that Blade Runner could become a bonafide series of films is a game changer.
Blade Runner is set in in a futuristic dystopian Los Angeles in which humans live alongside genetically engineered replicants. Replicants are virtually identical to their human counterparts, and things get murky when they are eventually banned from use. And when replicants enter Earth without permission, Blade Runners are sent to hunt down and kill them.
Harrison Ford starred in the original movie (and will reprise it in the sequel) as Deckard, a Blade Runner who is headed toward the end of his career. Deckard eventually develops feelings for replicant Rachael, making his mission all the more confusing. And the final moments of Blade Runner give doubt as to whether Deckard is in fact a human or just a replicant like Rachael. While director Denis Villeneuve has already made it clear that the mystery of Deckard's origin will remain through the sequel, perhaps a further installment will finally answer the question.
Blade Runner 2049 is set to hit theaters nearly a year from now, on October 6th, 2017.
