Blade Runner is the 1982 film which is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece starring Harrison Ford is about a cop who tracks down androids in a gritty future Los Angeles.
The movie was written by Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples. The co-writer then wrote Soldier to be a “spin-off sidequel,” a spiritual successor to Blade Runner.
Sixteen years later, when director Paul W.S. Anderson brought Soldier to the screen, he said the movie’s story is set within the Blade Runner universe.
But Peoples spilled the tea in an interview that it wasn’t initially written after Blade Runner. Rather it was written taking inspiration from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie.
David Webb Peoples Wrote Soldier After Watching Movie Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger
During an interview with author Danny Stewart for the book Soldier: From Script to Screen, David Webb Peoples revealed that he had never intended for Soldier to be connected to Blade Runner.
When he was asked if he wrote Soldier as a “side-quel” to Blade Runner, which was set in the same universe, Peoples answered:
“No, I never had any thoughts about that.”
The screenwriter went on to say:
“I wrote Soldier in 1984. Very quickly on my own. I wrote it because I saw the first Terminator in the theater, stunned. And it was such a wonderfulmovie. I’d always wanted to write a movie in which there was a tough guy who would be seemingly unsympathetic in the lead, and I felt that The Terminator was almost there.
He then continued:
Later in the sequel, it was determined he was the hero, but at the time, he was sort of a villain. But the fact is, he was so great. I went off, and I decided to write about this soldier.“
Soldier wasn’t actually intended to be linked to Blade Runner, but Peoples was inspired to write it after watching Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s The Terminator.
He also revealed that he had never seen the movie adaptation of Soldier because the script is very dear to him, and he’s worried that it would break his heart.
Soldier: A Blade Runner Sequel You Never Knew Existed
While Soldier is considered an unofficial sequel to Blade Runner, the ties between the two films are more than just fan speculation. There are some tangible connections and thematic similarities that exist in both movies.
Soldier might not have a direct story link to Blade Runner, but it makes up with shared themes. Both movies delve into issues about humanity and identity. Yet, labeling Soldier as a true sequel to Blade Runner might not be entirely accurate.
Watch Blade Runner and Soldier on Amazon Prime.
Source: JoBlo
