I’m loving the original marketing forBlade Runner 2049, whether it’s from Warner Bros.' distribution wing here in the States or Sony Pictures Entertainment in Japan. In addition to the traditional clips, featurettes, and trailers, we’ve also seen two original short films that fill in the story gaps betweenRidley Scott’s original picture andDenis Villeneuve’s upcoming sequel: one featuredJared Leto’s curious characterNiander Wallacewhile the more recent one took a look atDave Bautista’s mysteriousSapper. A third prequel story, however, takes a very different approach.
Hailing from directorShinichiro Watanabe(Cowboy Bebop,Samurai Champloo,Animatrix) comesBlade Runner: Black Out 2022, a new prequel that’s going to be animated in the visionary’s signature style. A new behind-the-scenes clip from the short film has been released; the full version will be available soon. Consider me excited!
Villeneuve reteams with frequent cinematographerRoger Deakinsfor the sci-fi story with Ridley Scott as executive producer;Blade RunnerscribeHampton FancherandMichael Greenpenned the screenplay for the sequel. StarringHarrison Ford,Ryan Gosling,Jared Leto,Robin Wright,Barkhad Abdi,Ana de Armas,Sylvia Hoeks,Lennie James, andMackenzie Davis,Blade Runner 2049opens in theaters on October 6th.
Check out a behind-the-scenes clip from the making ofBlade Runner: Black Out 2022below (viaYahoo!):
Kotakukindly has some translations for us from Watanabe and the Sony Pictures Japan animated prequel. Watanabe himself says, “The work that has influenced me the most in my anime profession would be, of course,Blade Runner,” before going on to affirm that he’s going to pay homage to the original film without making an imitation of it. We’ll be able to judge for ourselves once the full short is released on September 26th on Sony Pictures Japan YouTube channel, but it looks and sounds likeBlade Runner: Black Out 2022is in good hands.
For more onBlade Runner, be sure to check out our recent write-ups below:
