Fil-Am Dave Bautista joins Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford in ‘Blade Runner’ prequel

Fil-Am actor David Bautista is Sapper Morton in “Blade Runner 2049.” CONTRIBUTED

LOS ANGELES— Thirty-five years after “Blade Runner” smashed the box office, its prequel, “Blade Runner 2049” is finally ready for the screen.

When production executives and lead cast of “Blade Runner 2049,” including Fil-Am actor Dave Bautista, held a press conference at JW Marriott Hotel at LA Live September 24 to announce the prequel, actor Harrison Ford quipped that it came from a film that happened “A long time ago, in a world, far, far away.”

Opening in the U.S. on October 6, 2017, in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX, “Blade Runner 2049” will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and internationally by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The creation of a prequel was tossed around for years, and the rights to “Blade Runner” negotiated.

Dave Bautista stated, “When I first got the role I didn’t realize how important the character was to the plot.”

“So I was kind of stressed out about that pressure put upon me. Feeling like I was a kind of a  ‘the newbie’ to the cast,” Bautista added.

For Bautista, being cast in “Blade Runner 2049” shows how well he has been doing in the US film industry. Even with roles in “Spectre” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” under his belt, Bautista expressed appreciation for “just being a part of the cast.”

“I am proud to have earned the part and to be a part of this amazing movie,” he stated. It is an extraordinary event when the Filipino community gets to see one of their own in an American movie.

Bautista was questioned during the press conference about the “physicality of his role and scenes. Was there anything he wanted to say to costar Ryan Gosling now that the dust had settled?

“Yes, I think Ryan owes me an apology,” Dave Bautista teased Gosling, who gave a little hint about his character as well.

“Once Harrison apologizes to me, then I’ll think about handing out apologies,” chuckled Gosling.

The film keeps viewers’ attention with a unique blend of futuristic science and human issues. Each character, like Sapper Morton played by Bautista, walks through various emotions one would encounter while chasing his own freedom.

“As human beings, we are programmed by our genetic background, by our education and how can we can become free from that,” explained director Denis Villeneuve.

The press conference included Denis Villeneuve, Hampton Fancher, Michael Green,Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis and Dave Bautista.

More hint: Bautista’s character appears throughout the film.