After several bad test previews in March of 1982, Blade Runner was re-edited before its June 25 release date. A happy ending was added, with Deckard (Harrison Ford) informing us that the replicant Rachael doesn’t have the same four-year lifespan as other artificial humans. There wasn’t enough footage to cover this new addendum, so the studio threw in leftover helicopter shots from the Kubrick’s beginning of The Shining (as the Torrances drive to the Overlook Hotel). And, since test audiences had trouble understanding the dense sci-fi narrative, the studios pushed Harrison Ford to record explanatory voice-overs. They were so badly performed and fit so poorly with the film that for years it was rumored Harrison Ford had intentionally done a bad job, in the hopes the studio would not insert the voiceovers into the cut (“I was compelled by my contract to record this narration… Did I deliberately do it badly? No. I delivered it to the best of my ability given that I had no input. I never thought they’d use it. But I didn’t try and sandbag it,” Ford explained to Playboy).
Since then, four additional versions of Blade Runner have been created in an attempt to repair the tampered-with science fiction masterpiece, including the misnamed but fairly definitive 1992 Director’s Cut and, most recently, the 2007 The Final Cut. Though it’s now possible to watch Blade Runner as it was originally intended, it came about only after decades of popularity and pressure.
And now Blade Runner 2 is setting itself up for the same trouble. According to Blade Runner 2 director Denis Villeneuve, he doesn’t have final cut (from a Q&A with Variety):
“I agreed to do it because the producers behind Blade Runner are two friends. I made Prisoners with them, and I knew the environment they would create around me would be very secure. I don’t really have final cut on it. The thing I realized about final cut, is it’s the power of the best cut. I didn’t have final cut on Prisoners, but what you saw is the best cut. Sicario is a director’s cut, Arrival is a director’s cut. I cannot talk about it, I will see. My relationship with the people I am working with is very strong. At the end of the day what will win is the best movie.”
While it sounds like Villeneuve is optimistic about his ability to push through the best possible version of Blade Runner 2, this is one franchise so haunted by bad edits and studio interference that it’s hard not to worry about the worst-case scenario. That is assuming, of course, that a Blade Runner sequel starring Ford, Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto and Dave Bautista is a good idea in the first place.
Still, we’re in better hands than most with Blade Runner 2. Villeneuve’s latest movie, Arrival, is getting rave reviews at festivals, plus Blade Runner 2 has onboard legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins. Cross your fingers for Blade Runner 2, coming to theaters Oct. 6, 2017.
