We got a rush of blue and orange in the first trailer for Blade Runner 2049, but there was no indication from the preview if the Denis Villeneuve-directed, Roger Deakins-shot sequel to Ridley Scott‘s classic sci-fi film would be R rated. Fans can now rest easy, as confirmation has arrived it is expected to carry the same MPAA rating as the 1982 original.
“My producers are finding it fun to remind me that it will be one of the most expensive R-rated independent feature films ever made,” Villeneuve tells Screen Daily. For those questioning the distinction, although WB is distributing the film, it was independently financed by Alcon Entertainment, Thunderbird Entertainment, and Scott Free Productions. With editing now underway in Los Angeles after filming wrapped last month, we can actually thank Deadpool (perhaps the one good thing to come from the film) for proving that an R-rated feature can earn nearly $800 million in today’s box-office, paving the way for the decision, according to the article.
“I can count on my fingers the amount of times we put a green screen on set. Most of the movie was done on camera, me and [cinematographer] Roger Deakins worked very hard to do it that way,” the director goes on to say. “My actors were not walking on green screens all day long. CGI is a strong tool for backgrounds and extensions but what is around the actors needs to be as real as possible. When I watch a movie that’s mostly CGI, I’m disengaged.”
While we’ll still have to wait until next fall for the Ryan Gosling– and Harrison Ford-led film, the Arrival director still has sci-fi on the brain, saying, “I have two more ideas now that I would love to do. [And] Blade Runner could go on… we’ll see how this one goes.” One of those ideas looks to be Dune, as Variety reports he’s in early talks to direct Legendary’s reboot, after discussing his dreams to make it earlier this fall.
Check out a batch of new Blade Runner 2049 images from EW below.
Blade Runner 2049 arrives on October 6, 2017. As we await more details, check out a pair of fan posters above.