Future-Cast: If Blade Runner Were Made Today

Blade Runner was a bit too much for audiences when it was released way back in 1982, but it has since become an acclaimed staple of the sci-fi genre. The film has influenced countless projects that followed in its wake and helped solidify the prestige of director Ridley Scott. That begs the question as to what the film might have looked like if it was made today.

Naturally, a talented cast of actors would be necessary to bring Blade Runner’s eccentric and complex characters to life, and they would all need to work well on screen together. Thankfully, Hollywood has more than its fair share of talent, and the right cast could certainly handle the film’s outrageous and awe-inspiring source material.

10 Bryant (Brendan Gleeson)

M. Emmet Walsh played Bryant in the original Blade Runner, and although the character didn’t play a huge role in the story, Walsh himself turned out a typically great performance. Bryant is the inspector who strongarms Decker into going after the Replicants, which means the actor in question needs to be able to sell authority.

Brendan Gleeson has played a number of belligerent tough-guy characters in his time in such films as John Boorman’s The General, and he’d probably be a more fitting choice for the role than Walsh was. He’s able to project more aggression into his performance, while at the same time feigning sympathy that is perfect for the role of Bryant.

9 Rachael (Noomi Rapace)

Sean Young played an excellent Rachael in the original Blade Runner, relying specifically on a performance that represented her status as a Replicant. She was complex, she didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the world, and her underlying emotional confusion helped sell her connection to Deckard.

Noomi Rapace has played plenty of characters that were aloof outsiders who weren’t emotional or overtly expressive. Her performances in films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo prove that she’s got the sense of guarded vulnerability and uncertainty that would fit a character undergoing an existential crisis.

8 Gaff (Forest Whitaker)

Officer Gaff was originally played by Edward James Olmos, who was both understated and aloof as he coyly dropped hints throughout the film that Deckard was actually a replicant. This made him one of the most interesting characters of the film, even if he didn’t say a lot and didn’t factor into the main plot of the movie.

Forest Whitaker is one of the most versatile and well-known actors in Hollywood and has been since his memorable film debut in Amy Heckerling’s teen classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He’d make a great Gaff, particularly due to his ability to play mysterious and disjointed characters like Ghost Dog and Burnham in Panic Room that seem a bit off, in comparison to the rest of the world around them. Whitaker could easily duplicate this kind of performance with a bit more power in his delivery.

7 Kowalski (Vinnie Jones)

Brion James was a popular character actor during the 1980s, appearing as a heavy and a bad guy in countless films like Enemy Mine, Red Heat, and Red Scorpion. His performance in Blade Runner required a mixture of understated sympathy and villainous behavior.

Vinnie Jones is known for playing the latter in Snatch and Mean Machine but he’d be a good fit as Kowalski. It would also give the actor a chance to shed his stereotypical tough-guy persona, and go a bit deeper into a more complex character.

6 Zhora (Caitriona Balfe)

Joanna Cassidy had a brief but memorable role as the Amazonian replicant Zhora, who quickly transforms from a helpful eyewitness to a cold-blooded killer when Deckard questions her about Leon. A challenging part like this requires an actress who can immediately convey a strong impression and Irish actress Caitriona Balfe fits the bill perfectly. Balfe has made a name for herself as Claire Randall in the popular romantic fantasy series Outlander, where she strides a thin line between constant vulnerability and bold confidence. As the intimidating yet oddly sympathetic Zhora, Balfe could successfully embody her complex personality and overwhelming physicality.

5 Sebastian (Joaquin Phoenix)

The character of Sebastian is one of the most tragic and sympathetic in the entire film. He’s a loner who feels more comfortable with his various robotic creations than he does around actual human beings. Actor William Sanderson portrayed Sebastian in the original film, creating a very vulnerable performance.

Another actor capable of playing broken characters would be required for a modern-day version of Blade Runner, and it’s hard to think of a more fitting actor than Joaquin Phoenix. Throughout the years, Phoenix has given some incredible performances and played numerous men who did not fit in with the rest of the society, especially Arthur Fleck in 2019’s much-lauded Joker. Phoenix could successfully portray Sebastien’s heartbreaking attachment to Pris and his sad death at the hands of Roy. 

4 Pris (Liv Tyler)

Daryl Hannah expertly played the original Pris by blending intimidation with sweetness in order to craft a highly manipulative and dangerous character. The latter element is far more important for Pris, which requires an actress capable of getting people to let their guard down.

Liv Tyler is one of the most charming actresses in all of Hollywood, judging by her best performances, which is why she’d be a perfect fit for the charismatic Pris. Hints of her ability to play aggressive and dangerous characters have been glimpsed in films like Plunkett & Macleane and One Night at McCool’s, which suggests that she could pull off the role of a disarming killer with total ease.

3 Dr. Tyrell (Christoph Waltz)

Joe Turkel played the first Eldon Tyrell to great effect, combining ruthlessness with passion for his work. The result was an immoral, yet somehow well-meaning character who sought to push the boundaries of his craft, with disastrous results. Turkel played the character with honesty and a lack of apology.

Christoph Waltz has shown himself capable of playing similar characters who accept what they are, regardless of the bad qualities that are inherent within them. For all their horrible deeds, his characters in films like Inglourious Basterds and Carnage do what they do with conviction without any hints of regret. He’d make a great Eldon Tyrell, with a morally ambiguous performance that would surely fit the film.

2 Roy Batty (Michael Fassbender)

Few actors have the capability to play extremes like Rutger Hauer, whose performance as Roy Batty is one of his best. His unscripted monologue at the end of Blade Runner continues to inspire both actors, filmmakers, and sci-fi fans to this very day.

Michael Fassbender is perhaps the only actor capable of duplicating such an iconic performance, while still putting his own unique take on it. His performance as David in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant transcended the failures of both films, showing how easily he can play a Replicant/android-style character, with all their flaws built-in. Fassbender could imbue Roy with a fascinating combination of menace and grace, a killer who has moments of poetry while committing the most heinous acts imaginable.

1 Rick Deckard (Daniel Craig)

Harrison Ford portrayed one of his most memorable roles in Blade Runner as the archetypical noir detective Rick Deckard, whose lack of emotion hides an uncertainty about his identity. Deckard himself is a man disconnected from the outside world on an emotional level, which lends credence to the theory that he’s actually a Replicant.

007 actor Daniel Craig would be a top fit for the role of Deckard, given his ability to play gruff, gritty, and imperfect characters. Ford’s iconic performance as Deckard simply can’t be topped, but in the event that the film was made in the modern-day, as opposed to 1982, Craig would be an excellent first choice. He possesses the world-weariness necessary to pull off a character whose job involves witnessing the worst, and dishing out death on a regular basis.

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