“Cinema is there to explore the world, not to simplify it,” says Denis Villeneuve in this exclusive video interview from the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Crave is here on the ground, reviewing films and interviewing directors like Villeneuve, whose new crime drama Sicario has already premiered at TIFF and whose next feature is the exciting and long-awaited follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.
In addition to discussing the gender issues (or his intentional lack thereof) in Sicario, Denis Villeneuve shares his passion for the original Blade Runner. “It is by far one of my favorite movies of all time,” he tells Crave’s film content editor William Bibbiani, adding, “As a huge Blade Runner fan I realized that [the new movie] makes sense.”
Related: TIFF 2015 Review | ‘Sicario’ Borders on Greatness
But while Denis Villeneuve must remain tight-lipped about the plot of the new Blade Runner, it’s actually a plot point from the original movie that he cannot touch with a ten foot pole: Is Deckard, as originally played by Harrison Ford, a replicant or a human being?
It’s a question that Blade Runner fans have been debating for decades. “Now that I am on the other side of the fence I cannot answer,“ Villeneuve laughs.
But is the filmmaker concerned about the possibility that, if the new Blade Runner does answer some of these lingering questions, those revelations will impact the original, classic film? “Totally, the thing I must say is that I love mystery. I love shadows. I love doubts. I would just want to say to the fans that we will take care of that mystery. I will take care of it.”
Sicario opens in theaters on October 2, 2015. The Untitled Blade Runner Project is currently in pre-production. Watch our complete video interview below for more of Denis Villeneuve’s thoughts on both films.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The Best of TIFF 2015 | Exclusive Reviews, Interviews and Videos
The Best of TIFF 2015: Exclusive Reviews, Interviews and Videos
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'The Martian' Sciences All The Science
Matt Damon stars in an outer space thriller by nerds, for nerds. The rest of us can enjoy it too.
Image via 20th Century Fox
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Brian Helgeland on ‘Legend’ and ‘The Wild Bunch’
The Oscar-winning filmmaker reveals which Tom Hardy was hardest to work within a film that stars two of them.
Image via Universal Pictures
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'High-Rise' is an Impressive Erection
An insulated community gradually collapses into anarchy and horror in Ben Wheatley’s slimy J.G. Ballard adaptation.
Image via Recorded Picture Company
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Denis Villeneuve on 'Sicario' and 'Blade Runner 2'
The filmmaker promises to 'take care of' the mystery of whether Deckard is a replicant or a human in his next film, the long-awaited follow-up to Blade Runner.
Image via CraveOnline
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'The Boy and the Beast' is Best of the Fest
Mamoru Hosoda’s unique and brilliant animated fantasy could very well fill a hole in your soul.
Image via Mongrel Media
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Chiwetel Ejiofor on ‘The Martian’
He can about playing a super nerd, but he cannot talk about playing a supervillain (yet).
Image via CraveOnline
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Tom Hardy is Kray-Kray in 'Legend'
Tom Hardy plays identical twin organized crime bosses, but only one of them well, in Brian Helgeland’s uneven biopic.
Image via Universal Pictures
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'The Danish Girl' Flakes at the End
Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander give soaring performances, but this Oscar contender lands with an unexpected thud.
Image via Focus Features
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'Mustang' Isn't Just Turkey's 'Virgin Suicides'
A promising new filmmaker explores the repressions five sisters undergo when they’re accused of sexual indecency.
Images via Cohen Media Group
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Drew Goddard on 'The Martian' and 'Sinister Six'
"It was the epic Spider-Man movie of my dreams," says the acclaimed writer/director.
Image via CraveOnline
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'Body' Makes You Laugh Without Knowing Why
Corporeality haunts three characters in this masterful Silver Bear winner from director Małgorzata Szumowska.
Image via Nowhere
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'Green Room' Has Strong Fear on Tap
Jeremy Saulnier's neo-Nazi thriller is a worthy follow-up to Blue Ruin.
Image via A24
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Superb Satire in 'Chevalier'
The Greek New Wave demands to be viewed with this comedy about hyper-competitiveness turning men into horse's asses.
Image via Faliro House Productions
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'Sicario' Borders on Greatness
From the director of Prisoners comes a gripping episode of narcs and violations.
Image via Lionsgate
