Like a bunch of vengeful robots with an adverse reaction to questions about turtle-based cruelty, time is running out for those of us living in a pre-Blade Runner 2 world. Deadline is reporting that director Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s beloved 1982 future noir has been moved up on the film release schedule, from January 2018 to October 6, 2017.
The move suggests a vote of confidence on the part of Alcon Entertainment and domestic distributor Warner Bros., since it’ll pit Blade Runner 2 against one of Marvel’s as-yet-unannounced superhero films (not to mention one of Warner Bros.’ own). On the other hand, the new movie might have the pedigree to support that weight, considering how well critics responded to Villeneuve’s Sicario. Then there’s the cast that he and producer Scott have rounded up. Ryan Gosling is expected to star, alongside Robin Wright and perpetual Hollywood heavy Dave Bautista. Harrison Ford is also expected to reprise his role from the classic science fiction film, a strategy that seemed to work out pretty well, box office-wise, for the last folks who tried it.