Time To Live
8 Days|October 7, 2017

Blade Runner redefined sci-fi and introduced geeks to origami. Now, 35 years later and with Hollywood’s hippest director in control, Blade Runner 2049 promises to show you even more things you wouldn’t believe.

Ian Nathan/Empire
Time To Live

At Denis Villeneuve’s command, rain begins to fall. Waves crash against a vast sea wall that shields Los Angeles from an enraged ocean. It’s deep into the night, and only the sporadic searchlights that dance across the water provide any illumination. An effect one could happily describe as Blade Runner-y.

“Action!”

Out in the half-light, Ryan Gosling, wrapped in a hefty overcoat, finishes his push-ups and Sylvia Hoeks, head-to-toe in skin-tight artificial leather, concludes her lunges.

At an unseen signal, they set off. No quarter is given: Gosling’s Officer K and Hoeks’ Luv come to expertly choreographed blows. Finally, with an ungentlemanly swivel of his hips, K launches Luv into the surf.

Fictionally speaking, it is 2049 in a noir-soaked LA, 30 years after Blade Runner’s cop hero Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) fled  the city with Rachael, his replicant (read: android) lover, his own humanity dependent on who you ask. But in real-world terms it’s October 2016, on the outskirts of Hungary, where the Blade Runner 2049 shoot has taken over a giant water tank. The long-awaited sequel is two-thirds of the way towards completion and nothing seems amiss, though Ford himself is ensconsed in his trailer, replaced by a stunt double snared in cuffs in a nearby Spinner craft.

As the scene is recomposed for another take, Villeneuve heads in our direction. “I feel for my actors, but it is important to be in contact with the elements, no?” he tells us with a laugh. “I am on day 65 of shooting, I think, and I have seen three greenscreens so far. We are trying to do this in the spirit of the original. In order to step forwards, you have to step backwards.”

This story is from the October 7, 2017 edition of 8 Days.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 7, 2017 edition of 8 Days.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM 8 DAYSView All
What a G.E.M.!
8 Days

What a G.E.M.!

Hongkong singer and new Tag Heuer global ambassador G.E.M. TANG, in town recently for F1, has a “guilty indulgence” that will just make you feel more guilty about yours.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 06, 2016
The Twins Effect
8 Days

The Twins Effect

Is the local showbiz scene big enough for both JAYLEY and HAYLEY WOO to twin and win? We compare and contrast.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 06, 2016
Wake-Up Call
8 Days

Wake-Up Call

Following SHINee frontman JONGHYUN's suicide after a long struggle with depression, fans and celebs are urging the K-pop industry to pay more attention to the well-being of their artistes.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 04, 2018
Coming Clean
8 Days

Coming Clean

Chart-topping British band CLEAN BANDIT, in town on Jan 22 for a gig, may be famous for using classical music in their hits, but that won’t stop them from collaborating with Beyoncé, as bassist Jack Patterson tells us over the phone.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2018
Wong Time Right Target
8 Days

Wong Time Right Target

The always-glam FANN WONG goes glum for her first major movie role in three years.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 22, 2016
Star Ship Troopers
8 Days

Star Ship Troopers

Space Travel is about to get more exciting. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, two actors already in Hollywood’s Stratosphere, take off this week for the Sci-Fi Romance Passengers.

time-read
10 mins  |
December 22, 2016
Sandra Riley Tang, 25
8 Days

Sandra Riley Tang, 25

The Sam Willo ws singer works out because “I really love to eat”. Yes, The Yoga Cofounder’s fad diet days are definitely over.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 29, 2016
Comme What May
8 Days

Comme What May

The man behind the Comme des F***down streetwear, Rusland Karablin, is so Zen (check out the mantra emblazoned on his swag), he doesn’t mind that everyone from Bugis to Bangkok is bootlegging his stuff.

time-read
5 mins  |
September 29, 2016
“My Parents Told Me: You're On Your Own Now”
8 Days

“My Parents Told Me: You're On Your Own Now”

Getting cut off financially by her folks turned Asia’s Next Top Model alum AIMEE CHENG- BRADSHAW into a “super frugal” model. Except when it comes to yoga and shoes.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 09, 2017
A Slice Of New York In Singapore
8 Days

A Slice Of New York In Singapore

WOLFGANG’S STEAKHOUSE at the new Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay offers an authentic NYC steakhouse dining experience. But be prepared to leave with a much emptier wallet and smelling of beef fat.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 09, 2017