One of the greatest movie questions ever debated by fans has been the issue of whether or not Deckard was actually a replicant in Blade Runner. The film never gave a definitive answer, so how will the upcoming sequel tackle the topic? From the sounds of it, fans who are looking to get the answer cleared up once and for all may be out of luck. Director Denis Villeneuve says that Blade Runner 2049 won't be answering any questions left open by the original film.
Ridley Scott, who directed the first Blade Runner and is producing the sequel, has said in the past without equivocation that Harrison Ford's Deckard is a replicant. While such statements, and positions of authority, might lead one to believe that the issue is settled, The director of Blade Runner 2049 recently told Allocine that he is making a concerted effort to not solve the mysteries that Scott's original film left. This would seem to strongly imply that the issue of whether or not Harrison Ford's character is human is simply not going to be a topic of the film at all. This is interesting, if only because the director specifically said he would answer the question previously.
While the question of Deckard's status is ambiguous in the original theatrical cut of Blade Runner, subsequent releases of director's cuts included additional footage that seemed to lend credence to the idea, if not outright state, that Deckard is, in fact, one of the replicants that he is tasked with bringing in.
Of course, there will need to be at least one question answered that would need to be properly handled in order to even keep the debate alive. In the original Blade Runner, it is explained that replicants only have a four-year lifespan. Since Blade Runner 2049 will take place 30 years after the events of the original, there will need to be an in-movie explanation as to how replicants can survive for 30 years. Otherwise, we're forced to believe that Deckard is human after all.
It will be interesting to see how the movie deals with this without dealing with the Deckard question at the same time. Will the fact that replicants can live longer be a major plot point in the film? It would make sense to do it that way, as it will allow the movie to explain the situation without making it too obvious that the information also allows the Deckard question to continue. While most movie fans probably don't ultimately care if Deckard is human or not, it could possibly drive some up the wall if the mystery is artificially prolonged simply for the sake of keeping it alive.
It seems clear that Denis Villeneuve holds the original Blade Runner in high esteem and doesn't believe that it's his place to answer questions that Ridley Scott asked. At the same time, that's exactly what sequels are supposed to do. Do you think Deckard is a replicant? In the end, does that answer even matter when it comes to whether or not the sequel is any good? Let us know what you think in the comments.
