With a story in place, and after "Blade Runner" superfan Christopher Nolan turned down the job, "2049" found its director in French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Best known at the time for psychological thrillers like "Sicario" and "Enemy," Villeneuve had recently dipped his toe into science fiction with the Amy Adams-starring, Oscar-nominated "Arrival." That was far from his only credential for the assignment, though: Villeneuve told Entertainment Weekly the original "gave birth to my desire to become a director."
His affection for Scott's vision didn't keep Villeneuve from adding his own, though. One of the most striking differences is the weather report from Neo-Los Angeles. While the original is drenched in an oppressive layer of rain, it's turned much wintrier by 2049, with an equally oppressive blanket of snow.
Villeneuve explains in the documentary "Designing the World of 'Blade Runner 2049,'" "The first movie was more, like, inspired by bad days in London, where Ridley's coming from. Me, I'm coming from Montreal. So, it's like snow, and sludge, and the cold."
Gosling elaborated to Vice on what a difference that made: "The first thing [Villeneuve] said was, 'In my 'Blade Runner,' it snows. I'm Canadian, and I need to work in an environment that I understand and that I know is real and truthful to me.' ... And I was immediately relieved. And I thought, okay, this guy's got it."
