Director Denis Villeneuve reveals that the late rocker, who 'had influenced 'Blade Runner' in many ways,' was his first choice to play Neander Wallace.
- Sep 29, 2017
AceShowbiz - David Bowie could've been the villain in "Blade Runner 2049". Director Denis Villeneuve revealed in a recent interview with Metro U.K. that the English rocker was his first choice to play the character of Neander Wallace.
"Our first thought [for the character] had been David Bowie, who had influenced 'Blade Runner' in many ways," the filmmaker said. Unfortunately, the "Starman" singer passed away on January 10, 2016 due to liver cancer which he had been battling quietly.
"When we learned the sad news, we looked around for someone like that," Villeneuve shared. Actor/singer Jared Leto eventually landed the role of Neander.
As for the casting of Ryan Gosling as Officer K., Villeneuve said the part was intended for the actor since the beginning. "The part was written for Ryan right from the start. He was perfect," he gushed.
Harrison Ford who reprises his role as Rick Deckard also talked with the site about returning for the long-awaiting sequel, despite his past feud with franchise creator Sir Ridley Scott. He said, "Ridley and I have long made our peace with each other. Whatever the circumstances were during the original film, I have great respect for Ridley and admiration for his work."
Sharing his experience working with Villeneuve, the veteran actor said, "Denis brings enormous craftsmanship, cogent thoughts about storytelling. He is very direct and straightforward with the actors on the set. He either deeply loves it or thinks it is dog do."
Set thirty years after the events of the first film, "Blade Runner 2049" follows a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, who unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. Dave Bautista, Mackenzie Davis, Sylvia Hoeks, Ana de Armas, David Benson and Barkhad Abdi also star in the film, which is due out October 6 in the United States.
A new animated short has been released to fill the gap between the first and second films.
