A surprise move from the team behind the upcoming Blade Runner sequel, as they announce the addition of acclaimed cinematic composer Hans Zimmer to the production only two months before the film is due in cinemas, The Verge reports – although the director insists the last-minute rework is no cause for panic.
The original 1982 film was of course known for two things above all else: its still-impressive practical special effects, depicting the dystopian world of a ravaged Los Angeles, and its startlingly good score by Greek composer Vangelis.
With Denis Villeneuve taking Ridley Scott’s place in the director’s chair for the upcoming sequel (which sees Harrison Ford reprise his lead role alongside newcomer Ryan Gosling), the soundtrack is also being handled by a different person, namely Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Considering the original score was so incredibly iconic, the decision not to involve Vangelis left some fans of the original a little wary, although many have put their faith in Jóhannsson, who has worked with Villeneuve on three of his films: Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival.
An excerpt of Vangelis’ classic 1982 soundtrack – a hard act to follow
The extremely last-minute call-up might strike some as a little worrying, with the movie set to hit screens in mere months, but Villeneuve has stressed that Jóhannsson’s work has been “astonishing”, and that Zimmer is there only to provide some added variety.
“Given the magnitude of the task, Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer joined the team to help Jóhann,” Villeneuve says. “It’s hard to follow Vangelis! We had some astonishing atmospheric (pieces) by Jóhann, but I needed other options, and Hans helped us.”
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Zimmer is of course one of the biggest names in the cinematic world, contributing to everything from Christopher Nolan’s work on Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, to epics like Gladiator and The Da Vinci Code., as well as playing at Coachella and contributing to Banksy’s recent music art space.
Blade Runner 2049 will be out on October 7, and with two incredibly talented composers on board, we’re sure the score is in safe hands – check out the latest trailer below.
