Blade Runner 2 is a sequel that has been long in the making. A follow-up to one of the most well-regarded science fiction movies of all time, expectations from fans are undoubtedly sky high for its eventual release.
One good indication that the studio is taking the movie seriously is in the caliber of actors that are picked up during casting, and it’s so far, so good on that front; Harrison Ford is returning to the franchise for a second go-round and being joined by Ryan Gosling and House of Cards‘ Robin Wright. The casting announcements aren’t done yet, though, and it looks like one more notable actor may have signed on.
Dave Bautista, who played Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy as well as Mr. Hinx in Spectre, dropped a hint on Twitter that he may be involved with the upcoming Blade Runner sequel, although it’s a hint that only those familiar with the original would be likely to get. The actor tweeted “I can’t wait to share some really exciting news…” and accompanied it with a black and white picture in which he is gazing at an origami unicorn.
I can’t wait to share some really exciting news… pic.twitter.com/fI2VjDjcXM— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) April 2, 2016
The origami unicorn is a symbolic item held by Harrison Ford’s character Rick Deckard at the end of Blade Runner, and while it’s possible that Bautista’s exciting news is that he has perfected the art of Japanese paper folding, it seems more likely that he posted the picture to tease his involvement in Blade Runner 2. In the context of the director’s cut of the original movie, the unicorn opened up the question of whether Deckard, a hunter of replicants (the film’s name for androids), was himself a replicant, which raises the possibility that Bautista may be joining the film as a synthetic human, or even as a character whose human/android status is ambiguous.
Bautista, who got his start as a mixed martial arts athlete before crossing over into the field of acting, has proven he can hold his own in big budget films with his roles in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Spectre. While he may not be a household name to everyone just yet, that is likely to change as he continues to get high-visibility acting jobs such as his possible role in Blade Runner 2. No official announcement has yet been made about his involvement in the movie, however, so until that happens there is still the possibility he is just a well-muscled man with a soft spot for paper unicorns.
Blade Runner 2 is set to hit U.S. theaters on January 12th, 2018.
