"Blade Runner 2," originally scheduled to release by January 2018, has been officially re-scheduled to release by Oct. 6 2017 instead. As stated in a report from Deadline, Alcon Entertainment appears to have a lot of confidence in the upcoming sci-fi film to move it right in the middle of the awards season for films.
October to December is often referred to as "Oscar season" by many film critics given that this is the period when many Academy Award contenders are released in theaters, ensuring they can stay fresh on the minds of the Academy members come at voting time. Many big films also release in this schedule to take advantage of the college semester break and Christmas break as it increases their possibilities of raking in a higher box office.
However, the report also points out that by moving the film to October the studios are also putting it into direct competition against an unidentified Warner Bros. event film and Twentieth Century Film's "Deadpool 2," both of which cater to the same target audience. This indicates that the studios have a lot of faith in the potential of their film.
It is speculated that the second film will be a direct sequel of some sorts as it will see the return of Harrison Ford while also introducing several new cast members such as Dave Bautista, Robin Wright and Ryan Gosling. The film will be directed by "Sicario" director Dennis Villanueve based on a script by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green.
The first film ended with Harrison Ford's character, Rick Deckard, running off with his ally Rachel (Sean Young) who has been proven to be a replicant. The film and its newer "Ultimate Cut" also presented new scenes which suggest that Deckard himself may be a replicant.
If this proves true then the sequel may see the new cast hunting Deckard down as a replicant on the run.
