Blade Runner 2049 Short Film Reveals Origin of new Replicants
Director Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, the long awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s iconic 1982 original, is one of the movies we’re most excited about this fall. A little like 20th Century Fox did with their Alien: Covenant prologue, Warner Bros. has unveiled this thrilling tease—the short film 2036: Nexus Dawn.
Collider nabbed this exclusive video, which goes into detail about what happened in the Blade Runner universe between the first film, set in 2019, and Villeneuve’s upcoming film, set, of course, in 2049. The action here is set in 2036, and is focused on Jared Leto’s character, Niander Wallace, and is directed by Luke Scott (Morgan). 2036: Nexus Dawn shows Leto’s Wallace rolling out a new line of vastly improved replicants called the Nexus 9, in the hopes he’ll be able to have the prohibition on replicants repealed.
2036 is but one of three short films that Warner Bros. will debut ahead of Blade Runner 2049, giving viewers a more detailed picture of the Blade Runner world. They will explore how in 2023, government authorities ultimately passed an indefinite prohibition on replicant production, following a devastating EMP (electro magnetic pulse) that was detonated on the West Coast that was believed to have been unleashed by replicants.
Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Sylvia Hoeks, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, and Mackenzie Davis, and it opens theaters on October 6th.
