For the longest time, questions have been raised over the true identity of Harrison Ford’s Deckard. Put simply, is he human, or replicant? It’s a debate that will now continue into the release of Blade Runner 2049, according to director Denis Villeneuve.
Speaking with French cinema magazine Allocine – as relayed by The Playlist – the Arrival filmmaker stressed that he has no interest in answering any questions left lingering from the original 1982 classic. While admirable, the fact that Ridley Scott confirmed Deckard to be a replicant in the Blade Runner Director’s Cut – not to mention the scores of story clues that fans have garnered in the intervening years – has lead many to assume that the real identity of Harrison Ford’s enigmatic character is, by now, a forgone conclusion.
That being said, as The Playlist notes, because Nexus 6 replicants hold a four-year lifecycle, speculation is rife that Deckard is some form of advanced replicant. Regardless, don’t expect Blade Runner 2049 to herald the answers you’re looking for; when asked whether the 2017 sequel will tackle the theme of Deckard’s identity, Villeneuve said “not necessarily,” so make of that what you will.
One piece of concrete news that we can tell you is that Harrison Ford is very much back on board for Blade Runner 2049. He’s part of cast comprised of Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto, House of Cards alum Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, Guardians fan-favorite Dave Bautista and Barkhad Abdi of Captain Phillips fame.
Blade Runner 2049 has been slated for October 5, 2017 and is one of two Ridley Scott classics set to make a comeback next year, the second being Alien: Covenant.
