Since it was first announced, many have wondered if Blade Runner 2049 will follow its predecessor’s route and be rated R, or if it would go for a lower rating in order to attract a wider audience to the theater. Well, in an interview with Screen Daily, director Denis Villeneuve has confirmed that the long-awaited sequel will in fact receive an R rating.
SEE ALSO: Watch the teaser trailer for Blade Runner 2049 here
“My producers are finding it fun to remind me that it will be one of the most expensive R-rated independent feature films ever made,” Villeneuve stated.
Warner Bros. could be taking a risk with such an expensive sci-fi movie that is rated R, but the outlet notes that the decision could be due to Deadpool‘s success earlier this year. The Ryan Reynolds-headlined superhero film became the highest grossing Rrrated film ever with $738 million worldwide. This caused many other studios to consider making more R-rated films, such as next year’s superhero flick Logan.
Villeneuve also talked about how Blade Runner 2049 used many practical effects and sets, one reason why it has such a high cost. “I can count on my fingers the amount of times we put a green screen on set,” he said. “Most of the movie was done on camera, me and cinematographer Roger Deakins worked very hard to do it that way. My actors were not walking on green screens all day long. CGI is a strong tool for backgrounds and extensions but what is around the actors needs to be as real as possible. When I watch a movie that’s mostly CGI, I’m disengaged.”
He also took the chance to tease more Blade Runner and other sci-fi films from him, saying “I’m doomed, I love sci-fi. I have two more ideas now that I would love to do. And Blade Runner could go on… we’ll see how this one goes.”
SEE ALSO: Read the Flickering Myth Reaction to the Blade Runner 2049 trailer
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), 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 (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Blade Runner 2049 is set for release on October 6th and sees Harrison Ford reprising the role of Rick Deckard alongside Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista and Jared Leto.
Originally published December 21, 2016. Updated November 30, 2022.
