Do androids dream of electric sheep? Well, they dream of the Gos.
After years of hearing speculations, then confirmations, then cute pictures of producer Ridley Scott, director Denis Villeneuve (of Arrival and Sicario fame), and stars Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling hanging out on set, Blade Runner 2049 is finally upon us. In the film’s first teaser, we see a dead-eyed, probably-replicant Gosling as he slowly walks through a steam-entrenched city and neon orange desert. “Replicants are like any other machine—they’re either a benefit or a hazard,” muses Deckard from the original film in a voiceover for the teaser (no, not that voiceover). “If they’re a benefit, it’s not my problem.”
Blade Runner 2049 takes place 30 years after the original film. The film will star Gosling, as he takes on the role of a LAPD officer named “K” who’s trying to track down the long-MIA Deckard, who fled his home in the original film’s final scene. Though details on Gosling’s character’s identity are a mystery beyond that synopsis, Gosling has already played the role of a replicant in nearly all of Nicolas Winding Refn’s movies, especially his statue-esque role in the controversial Only God Forgives. So, his casting in the long-awaited (and maybe unnecessary) Blade Runner sequel comes as no surprise. And who knows, maybe he ends up actually not being a replicant after all. We’ll find out in October of next year, if the world hasn’t imploded yet.
Blade Runner 2049 hits theaters on October 6th, 2017, surprisingly not 32 years in the future. It will also have separate VR experiences heading to Oculus platforms around the film’s release.
