Director Denis Villeneuve got the chance to sign off on three short films that fill in the gap between Blade Runner and its upcoming sequel, Blade Runner 2049. Together, they form a coherent picture of what happened in the wake of Rick Deckard’s fleeing of Los Angeles.
[Spoilers ahead for background to Blade Runner 2049.]
Here is the first film, 2036: Nexus Dawn. We are introduced to Jared Leto’s character, Niander Wallace, and a new future for replicants is discussed. Luke Scott is the director.
Then we have 2048: Nowhere to Run, also by Luke Scott. In it, we are introduced to the replicant Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista).
And finally we have 2022: Black Out, an anime directed by the Shinichirō Watanabe, the acclaimed director of Cowboy Bebop. Here, we learn of the fate of the Tyrell Corporation, and the major event that led to the replicant prohibition that Wallace seeks to overturn in 2036.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnFVnbpz3lQ
These films provide a fascinating landscape on which to set the new Blade Runner film. (The incredible artistry that goes into Black Out certainly doesn’t hurt that cause.) We’ve only got one week until we know more….
