The clock is ticking down to the release of the Blade Runner sequel next year, and in the meantime, the cast keeps on growing. The most recent addition is Jared Leto, according to Variety. The Oscar-winning actor joins a cast that already boasts Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, among others.
The follow-up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 adaptation of the sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, the film is sure to present another interesting version of the future. Just what that future will entail, however, is still a big mystery, as plot details have remained largely under wraps. However, director Denis Villeneuve has revealed that the sequel will bring viewers back to Los Angeles, decades after the events of the first film.
Leto’s character has not yet been revealed, but he makes an intriguing addition to the cast nonetheless. He most recently starred as The Joker in the box office hit Suicide Squad, and he won an Academy Award for his role in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club. The actor will share the screen with original Blade Runner star Ford, Gosling, Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi, and WWE wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista. The cast also includes David Dastmalchian, Hiam Abbass, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, and Mackenzie Davis.
Villeneuve is teaming up with cinematographer Roger Deakins and directing the film from a script written by Hampton Fancher (co-writer of the Blade Runner screenplay) and Michael Green. The script is reportedly based on a story created by Fancher and Ridley Scott, the director of the original and one of the sequel’s executive producers. Frank Guistra, Bill Carraro, and Tim Gamble will also executive produce, while Alcon Entertainment’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Jonson will produce alongside Cynthia Sikes Yorkin. The late Bud Yorkin will receive a producer credit.
The Blade Runner sequel is slated to hit theaters on October 6, 2017.
