Ridley Scott has never been known to hold back during interviews and press tours, and with age, he’s become even more outspoken and candid. The year 2017 held significant milestones for him, with the release of Alien: Covenant, the tumultuous production of All the Money in the World, and the legacy sequel to his 1982 science fiction masterpiece, Blade Runner.
Scott is renowned for his remarkable speed in filmmaking, but he kicked it into high gear during the production of All the Money in the World. In just nine days, he conducted extensive reshoots with Christopher Plummer, showcasing his exceptional efficiency.
Ridley Scott Questioned Other Directors’ Shooting Process
During a 2017 conversation with Vulture, Ridley Scott openly wondered why other filmmakers take such extended periods. Scott managed to direct both The Last Duel and House of Gucci in 2021, with Napoleon and Gladiator 2 on the horizon, an impressive feat for an 85-year-old.
Ridley Scott told Vulture:
“They shouldn’t [take that long], that’s why I do two a year. We did Alien: Covenant, which is a very complicated film, in 73 days. That would normally be 130 days. What the fuck are you doing, you know?”
Regarding Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, the film received critical acclaim but fell short in terms of financial success.
Scott continued:
“I have to be careful what I say. I have to be careful what I say. It was f*cking way too long. F*ck me!”
He goes on to assert that he essentially crafted the script, as Scott no longer concerns himself with the consequences of his statements in interviews, and this unapologetic attitude is rather impressive. The production budget for Blade Runner 2049 reportedly ranged from $150 million to $185 million, and it raked in $265 million at the box office. However, when accounting for marketing and distribution expenses, there was little to no profit left.
Ridley Scott Took Five Attempts For What Dennis Villeneuve Did In One
Ridley Scott went through five distinct versions of the film to effectively address the central question posed by Philip K. Dick’s speculative-fiction novel, “Do Androids Dream?” Interestingly, this suggests that the director himself might not have fully grasped what made his own film so intriguing in the earlier iterations.
In his initial attempt, Dennis Villeneuve nails it by starting with the premise that when androids dream, their deepest longing is to become human.
Following this narrative thread to its logical culmination, Villeneuve has skillfully woven a contemporary tale in which a replicant longs to attain true humanity, albeit just one layer of the film’s multifaceted narrative. While the original Blade Runner was eventually appreciated for its unfulfilled promise, its sequel stands as one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made.
Blade Runner 2049 can be streamed on Fubo TV.
Source: Vulture
