The clock is ticking down to the release of the Blade Runner sequel next year, and in the meantime, the cast keeps on growing. The most recent addition is Jared Leto, according to Variety. The Oscar-winning actor joins a cast that already boasts Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, among others.
The follow-up to Ridley Scott’s 1982 adaptation of the sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, the film is sure to present another interesting version of the future. Just what that future will entail, however, is still a big mystery, as plot details have remained largely under wraps. However, director Denis Villeneuve has revealed that the sequel will bring viewers back to Los Angeles, decades after the events of the first film.
Leto’s character has not yet been revealed, but he makes an intriguing addition to the cast nonetheless. He most recently starred as The Joker in the box office hit Suicide Squad, and he won an Academy Award for his role in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club. The actor will share the screen with original Blade Runner star Ford, Gosling, Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi, and WWE wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista. The cast also includes David Dastmalchian, Hiam Abbass, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Carla Juri, and Mackenzie Davis.
Villeneuve is teaming up with cinematographer Roger Deakins and directing the film from a script written by Hampton Fancher (co-writer of the Blade Runner screenplay) and Michael Green. The script is reportedly based on a story created by Fancher and Ridley Scott, the director of the original and one of the sequel’s executive producers. Frank Guistra, Bill Carraro, and Tim Gamble will also executive produce, while Alcon Entertainment’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Jonson will produce alongside Cynthia Sikes Yorkin. The late Bud Yorkin will receive a producer credit.
The Blade Runner sequel is slated to hit theaters on October 6, 2017.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.