'Blade Runner 2049' prequel short: Watch Jared Leto's pitch to end replicant prohibition
Blade Runner 2049 may answer some of the central questions posed — and left unresolved — by its seminal predecessor, 1982’s Blade Runner. As such, its own mysteries have fueled much fan speculation. For now, its trailers have succeeded at keeping most of its specifics under wraps, even if we recently learned — via its most recent international trailer — that its story will likely involve a bid to stop an army of “replicants” created by Niander Wallace (Jared Leto). At the least, those androids will play a central role in Arrival director Denis Villeneuve’s sequel. For further proof, look no further than the new prequel short above, debuted by Collider earlier today.
Directed by Luke Scott (son of franchise originator Ridley Scott and director of 2016’s Morgan), 2036: Nexus Dawn takes place, as per its title, 13 years before the events of Blade Runner 2049, and details a meeting between Wallace and officials firmly opposed to his pitch to repeal replicant-prohibition laws. To make his case for his artificial “angels” — whom he frequently discusses in biblical terms — Wallace shows off a version of his latest model, the Nexus 9, culminating with an act that shocks the room, and which he believes definitely proves his point.
Luke Scott’s prequel film seems to fill in an important historical gap between Blade Runner (set in 2019) and Blade Runner 2049 (set in, well, 2049), and it certainly hints at the personality — and motivation — of Leto’s Wallace, who’s set up as a villain of verbally affected creepiness. Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and Robin Wright — lands in theaters on Oct. 6.
‘Blade Runner 2049’ featurette unites Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford…and Frank Sinatra:
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