BLADE RUNNER 2 Director Says "It's Not Possible to Live Up to The Original"
Well, it seems like the director of Blade Runner 2, Denis Villeneuve, is making sure we don't set our expectations too high for the upcoming sequel to Ridley Scott's classic film. I've actually been pretty excited about seeing how this Blade Runner sequel will turn out, especially with the cast that includes the return of Harrison Ford.
During an interview with THR, the director talked a little bit about the film he is making and says it won't live up to the original:
"First of all, it’s not possible to live up to the original. It’s Ridley Scott. It’s a masterpiece. It’s one of the best sci-fi films, one of the best films in the past 50 years. For me, what terrorises me right now is what I’m doing is taking Blade Runner and making it my own, and that is horrific."
Blade Runner is a masterpiece but I think it is possible to live up to the original. I think a sequel has the potential to be just as good. Why wouldn't it? Why would a person even attempt to make a sequel if they didn't think they could live up to the original?
Villeneuve is a talented director that has worked on films such as Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, and his most recent film Arrival. When he was first hired to direct this film, I was disappointed that Scott wasn't doing it, but it seemed like he had the level of talent to give us a great sequel under the guidance of Scott. I hope his level of confidence in the project goes up! He definitely has confidence in his cast. When talking about Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, he says:
"I must say, the thing I can say is that Ryan Gosling is insanely good. I knew he was a great actor, I didn't know how brilliant - he's really an intelligent person, very clever, very provocative mind, he's bringing a lot to the project right now, a lot, in a positive way."
"Harrison Ford, he was one of my biggest heroes. I grew up with him, so to meet a man like that who is kind of a legend in your heart, that has that kind of humility, generosity, open-mindedness and simplicity, one of the nicest human beings I've met. I'm really looking forward to start working with him."
He goes on to talk about what it's been like for him working on the sequel, saying:
"To realise that when I look at the dailies, it’s not Ridley Scott, it’s me, and that it’s different. It’s still the same universe, we are still in the same dream, but it’s mine, so it’s like I have no idea how you people will react, I don’t know. It has its own life."
It's definitely quite an undertaking to take on the challenge of directing the sequel to Blade Runner. There's no doubt he's feeling the pressure, but I hope he does give us a film that lives up to the original. That's what the fans want to see! It's not like we want a mediocre sequel. I believe that Villeneuve can pull it off. What do you think?