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Blade Runner 2: Ridley Scott describes opening scene in lengthy detail: features Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard

'Wyoming. Flat, not rolling - you can see for 20 miles'

Jack Shepherd
Tuesday 17 November 2015 17:09 GMT
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Harrison Ford in the Blade Runner original
Harrison Ford in the Blade Runner original

Over the last few days, Ridley Scott has been quite prolific talking to the press, casually announcing the new title for Prometheus 2 (Alien: Covenant) leading to Fox releasing an official logo and synopsis.

The director has described in huge amounts of detail the opening sequence for one of his other upcoming projects, Blade Runner 2, at the AFI festival.

Read his lengthy monologue about the Ryan Gosling-starring, Denis Villeneuve-directed flick below (via Digital Spy) and, if you really want to set the scene, listen to the original's soundtrack at the same time.

"We decided to start the film off with the original starting block of the original film. We always loved the idea of a dystopian universe, and we start off at what I describe as a 'factory farm' - what would be a flat land with farming.

"Wyoming. Flat, not rolling - you can see for 20 miles. No fences, just ploughed, dry dirt. Turn around and you see a massive tree, just dead, but the tree is being supported and kept alive by wires that are holding the tree up. It's a bit like Grapes of Wrath, there's dust, and the tree is still standing. By that tree is a traditional, Grapes of Wrath-type white cottage with a porch.

"Behind it at a distance of two miles, in the twilight, is this massive combine harvester that's fertilising this ground. You've got 16 Klieg lights on the front, and this combine is four times the size of this cottage. And now a spinner [a flying car] comes flying in, creating dust.

"Of course, traditionally chased by a dog that barks, the doors open, a guy gets out and there you've got Rick Deckard. He walks in the cottage, opens the door, sits down, smells stew, sits down and waits for the guy to pull up to the house to arrive.

"The guy's seen him, so the guy pulls the combine behind the cottage and it towers three stories above it, and the man climbs down from a ladder - a big man. He steps onto the balcony and he goes to Harrison's side. The cottage actually [creaks]; this guy's got to be 350 pounds. I'm not going to say anything else - you'll have to go see the movie.”

Gosling only recently confirmed he would feature in the sequel to the 80’s classic. Harrison Ford, meanwhile, has already been confirmed to star in the film, reprising his role as Rick Deckard.

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