Blade Runner 2049 Sequel
Many remakes or follow-ups lack the authenticity of the original films made decades ago. Just the idea of rebooting or interfering with revered works makes the fanbase apprehensive. When a sequel to Blade Runner was announced, scepticism ran high. The film went through production hell as the project kept on passing into different hands. Finally, the buck stopped at Dennis Villeneueve and the French/Canadian filmmaker breathed new life into the franchise.
Blade Runner 2049 proved to be a culturally important sequel that for once pleased the fanbase of the original. Villeneuve’s interpretation of the cinematic universe and reimagining of the future had a harrowing quality to it. So you’d think a sequel to Blade Runner 2049 would be a given, right? Well, unfortunately, 2049 turned out to be a box office bomb. It lost money to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The immediate future was marred by grey skies and clouds of uncertainty. However, we have a positive update for our readers. Here’s what we know about a potential follow-up at the time of writing:
What is Blade Runner 2049 about?
As indicated by the title, the sequel is set in the year 2049, a few decades after the first film. A new model of replicants has been manufactured by Niander Wallace’s company, which has taken over Tyrell Corporation. Wallace is a controversial, ruthless God-like figure who wants world domination. K is one of these new models and is tasked with hunting down the old Nexus-8s, who have gone rogue. During one such expedition, K discovers a mysterious box buried deep within the ground at the farm of Sapper Morton (whom K kills).
The box reveals an ossuary of bones that are revealed to belong to Rachael, Deckard’s love interest from the previous film. One thing leads to another and K is revealed to be followed by a member of the Replicant Freedom Movement, which is led by Freysa.
Rachael’s body is evidence of replicant reproduction ability, something that would be as dangerous as it is groundbreaking. K sets out to determine if he is the offspring by going rogue. He is chased by Wallace’s replicant enforcer, Luv.
We have coverage of Blade Runner 2049 on our site including an ending explained.
Will there be a sequel to Blade Runner 2049?
At the time of writing, a sequel to Blade Runner 2049 has not been confirmed.
Everyone involved with the project – Villeneuve, Scott Ridley, Harrison Ford, and writer Hampton Fancher – has expressed their intentions to make a sequel movie. At first, the chatter was around a sequel that would directly follow up on the events in 2049. This gradually morphed into potential plans to make a movie independent of the first two films. None of that materialized into anything concrete, much to the disappointment of the fanbase.
2049’s box office failure might have had a significant role to play in this decision. However, in November 2021 it was revealed that a sequel was in development in the form of a television show. The 10-episode show, currently known as Blade Runner 2099, will be produced by Alcon Entertainment and Amazon Studios. This was confirmed by Amazon last year as it looks to ramp up its prestige offerings to compete with peer OTT platforms.
What could the Blade Runner 2049 sequel be about?
Only a few personnel attached to the sequel have been announced.
Two of these, executive procedures Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, had this to say about the potential plot of the series:
“We are beyond excited to continue to extend the Blade Runner canon into a new realm with the provocative storyline that Silka (Luisa, the showrunner) has created.”
That is not enough to gauge anything concrete as to what the plot of the sequel could be about. However, it is pretty much confirmed that the plot will be set in the same universe as the original films. The show will be set roughly 50 years into the future.
Harrison Ford’s character, Deckard, was reunited with his biological daughter, Dr Stelline, for the first time at the end of 2049. She is expected to play a part in the sequel although it will likely be in a limited capacity given her condition. Ford was apparently in talks to reappear as Deckard but given the character’s age in Blade Runner 2049, an appearance is unlikely.
When could the sequel to Blade Runner 2049 be released?
We are still short of a release date. But do not expect the show to have any chance of being released this year or the next. The strikes have done unimaginable damage to the industry. Most productions have come to a halt and will only resume after the strikes are over, which is anyone’s guess really. 2025 should be a realistic target, granted some sort of resolution is reached by this year’s end.
That’s all we know for now but if we do hear news of a sequel, we will update this page with the relevant information.
Did you enjoy Blade Runner 2049? What do you think could happen in the sequel? Let us know in the comments below.