David Bowie was more than a musician. In addition to his unbelievable body of musical work spanning six decades, fans also know him for his incredible acting performances in films like Labyrinth and The Prestige. Unfortunately, it seems that every couple of weeks we are learning that his untimely death prevented him from appearing in more films. We learned in May that director James Gunn wanted to cast Bowie as one of the original guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. Now, Indie Wire reports that director Denis Villeneuve originally wanted Bowie to play the role of the villain in Blade Runner 2049!
The revelation actually comes from an earlier Metro interview conducted in July, but the news sites are picking up on this specific tidbit now as we near closer and closer to the film’s release on October 5th. Here’s what Villeneuve had to say:
“Our first thought [for the character] had been David Bowie, who had influenced Blade Runner in many ways. When we learned the sad news, we looked around for someone like that.”
The role of Niander Wallace eventually went to Jared Leto (another actor/musician), who temporarily blinded himself for his performance in the film. Time will tell if Leto’s performance ultimately resembles the original vision Villeneuve had for Bowie’s hypothetical performance. When you catch the film this fall, try to imagine how it might be different had the Thin White Duke been the foil to Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling!
Stay tuned to Horror News Network for more details on Blade Runner 2049 as they break!
