Though they’ve inevitably diminished in importance since the dawn of the Internet, there’s a certain art to the movie poster.
In the lead-up to a new release, studios spend a small fortune in crafting a film’s marketing campaign so that it projects ‘Movie X’ in the best light possible, and there is no perhaps better example of that process in action than the finalized poster. Take the newly-released Blade Runner 2049 one-sheets as an example. Here we have two remarkably stylish, neon-drenched pieces of art featuring some of the sequel’s lead characters – Harrison Ford’s Deckard, Ryan Gosling’s K, and Jared Leto as enigmatic Replicant architect, Neander Wallace – that also communicate 2049‘s primary location: a far-future Los Angeles ravaged by runaway climate change.
There’s also the stark divide between K and Deckard, as the latter is bathed in a neon-blue light over the rich red illuminating Gosling and Co. As you’ll see below, he’s the only character pictured in that glow, fuelling rumors that Harrison Ford’s old veteran is actually a Replicant, as was originally teased towards the end of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece.
And it’s that masterpiece that writer-director Denis Villeneuve will hope to honor in two months’ time. To his credit, the filmmaker has gone on record about embracing the pressure from the off, so it’ll be interesting to see how that approach translates to the big screen come October.
Also starring Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Edward James Olmos and Jared Leto as the aforementioned (and downright creepy) Wallace, 2049 certainly boasts all of the Blade Runner hallmarks: beautiful, sci-fi vistas, unreliable protagonists, and profound existential themes. But will it be able to carve out an audience of its own?
Blade Runner 2049 lights up theaters on October 6th, and there’s a very good chance Denis Villeneuve’s long-gestating sequel will be remembered as one of, if not the best looking blockbusters of 2017. Thor: Ragnarok being a close second, of course.
