We're less than a year and a half away from hitting 2019, the year that the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner took place. Needless to say that the world of Ridley Scott's cinematic adaptation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep looks a lot different than our world, but there are a few similarities. OK, so we don't have androids or flying cars (yet), but the Blade Runner reality does share some of our pop culture. For example, evidently Elvis Presley is still quite popular in this reality, as he'll be seen this fall in Blade Runner 2049 for an extended period of time. According to Joel Weinshanker, an investor who is a majority owner in Elvis Presley Enterprises and the managing director of Graceland Holdings and Graceland Archives:
You see Elvis for about three seconds in a trailer, but he's in it for a lot longer.
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, and the singer, often called the King of Rock and Roll, is still considered to be one of the most talented singers of the 20th century. Evidently his fame hasn't declined in the Blade Runner world either, because he was briefly spotted as a hologram in one of the Blade Runner 2049 trailers. While Joel Weinshanker didn't reveal the exact circumstances of Elvis' cameo to Variety, it doesn't sound like it will be one of the blink-and-you-miss-it kind. For those of you who didn't catch Elvis' quick appearance in the Blade Runner 2049 preview released this past May, check out the screenshot below.
Rather than bring back Elvis Presley as a Replicant duplicate, the rock and roll icon appears to be projected as a hologram at an entertainment venue that Ryan Gosling's character, LAPD Officer K, is investigating. Since this cameo is lasting more than a few seconds, I'm guessing that a fight will break out at this venue, and while K is defending himself from nefarious forces, hologram Elvis will stay in the background performing "Hound Dog" or one of his other hits.
Taking place three decades after the events of the original Blade Runner movie, Blade Runner 2049 will follow Ryan Gosling's K uncovering a dark secret that could spell the end of humanity. His journey will lead him to finding Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard, who was last seen leaving Los Angeles with Sean Young's Rachael. The sequel's main cast also includes Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Dave Buatista, Ana de Armas, Mackenzie Davis, Sylvia Hoeks, Barkad Abdi, David Dastmalchian and Edward James Olmos.
Blade Runner 2049 will be released in theaters on October 6. Don't forget to also look through our 2017 premiere guide to find out what other cinematic offerings are coming for the remainder of the year.
