Similar to the equal parts friendly and professional relationship that Jonny Greenwood and director Paul Thomas Anderson have had at least since There Will Be Blood, director Denis Villeneuve and Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson are apparently on the verge of establishing an unshakeable bond that’ll last at least until they’re able to fill a pool with all of their jointly-earned golden man trophies. The Villeneuve film Sicario was nominated for three Oscars at the latest Academy Awards, and even though Jóhannsson’s score ultimately lost out to the Ennio Morricone one for the latest Tarantino endeavor, signs are undoubtedly pointing to a new director/composer duo showing up on the block and just throwing their garbage anywhere they feel like. They don’t give a shit. Jóhannsson in particular multitasks with new solo albums while not giving a shit.
The big news that I insist on not letting overshadow that solo album: Jóhannsson has just been tapped to score the 2017 sequel to Blade Runner, which is currently being filmed. Vangelis was the man behind the score for the original 1982 classic, and in that respect, Jóhannsson had a few humble words that he told to FACT:
Vangelis is a composer that has been a huge influence on my own work, and not only the Blade Runner score – many of his solo albums have been a rich part of my life for a long time. What I love about his work, which I think is also present in my own work, is his sense of space – the way he uses space, the way he uses silences and this sense of monumentalism in a way.
It’s too early to tell what the score or the movie overall will be like, so feel free to ceaselessly fawn over the tentative credits (featuring a redemption-seeking Jared Leto) here.
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