Blade Runner 2049 Director Says They’re “Aiming for an R-Rating”

Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve spoke to Screen Daily about the forthcoming movie and dropped some new information about what to expect.

Villeneuve said that filming wrapped in November and that the movie is now in the middle of editing. He said that they were “aiming for an R-rating” for 2049, like the original film. It’s a risky move to go for an R-rating with such a big budget, as Villeneuve is constantly reminded: “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,” he said.

For anybody worried about the movie losing the tactile feel of the original, Villeneuve said:

I can count on my fingers the amount of times we put a green screen on set. 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.

Villeneuve also teased that we could be seeing more Blade Runner if 2049 does well. “I’m doomed, I love sci-fi,” he said. “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.” Blade Runner 2049 comes out on Oct. 6, 2017. Watch the first teaser for the film here.