Uh-Oh… ‘Blade Runner 2’ is Going to Come Out in January

It still seems hard to believe that we’re finally getting a sequel to Blade Runner, especially since the original sci-fi classic was a box office bomb when it came out in 1982. There were a variety of factors involved in its original lack of popularity, including a butchering theatrical cut that gave Ridley Scott’s film a bullshit happy ending and a disinterested voice-over, and a release date that placed it in right the wake of the blockbuster hits PoltergeistStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.

But Blade Runner 2 isn’t going to have that problem. Sure, it might end up having a lot of other problems (or maybe it will be perfect, who knows?), but Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. will be releasing the follow-up on January 12, 2018… far, far away from any serious competition, in the month when Hollywood usually releases all of the crappy movies they don’t want anyone to pay attention to, because they’re still trying to promote all their Oscar contenders from the year before.

Also: ‘Blade Runner 2’ Director Denis Villeneuve Promises to ‘Take Care of’ the Original Movie’s Mysteries

Seriously, the only competition currently on the schedule for January 2018 is a film called Sherlock Gnomes. It’s either a brilliant move from the studio since they’re releasing a highly anticipated sequel in a month in which no other studio wants to tread, or a vote of no-confidence, or both. If Blade Runner 2 is a huge success, awesome, and if it sucks they can, at least, say that they warned us.

Blade Runner 2, actual title unknown (Blade Runner World? Blade Runner Reloaded? Blade Runner: The Deadly Art of Illusion?), stars Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling in a story that takes place decades after the original tale. Ford originally played Rick Deckard, a “blade runner” tasked with tracking down rogue “replicants” – i.e. robots who are indistinguishable from humans – who have gone rogue, and are committing crimes in an attempt to expand on their artificially limited lifespans.

Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) will direct the film. In an interview with Crave last year, he revealed that the enigmatic ending of the original Blade Runner – which left audiences wondering whether Deckard was a replicant himself – will be “taken care of” in Blade Runner 2, meaning that he will attempt to preserve the mystery (as opposed to solving it).

I leave you with a short list of crappy, crappy, crappy films that turned January into the awful joke of a month that it is, at least in the movie industry. Welcome to the pack, Blade Runner 2. Your competition includes Kangaroo Jack and Snow Dogs.

Top Photo: Warner Bros.

William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

 

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