‘Blade Runner 2049’ Producer Shares In-Depth Production Journal Revealing BTS Secrets, Alternate Titles, & More

As many expected it would be, “Blade Runner 2049” was one of the most beautiful films of 2017, and some might say one of the best films of the year, period. And as we’ve covered before, the making of “Blade Runner 2049” was incredibly detailed and thorough. The assembly cut alone was over 4 hours long. And in a new behind-the-scenes look at the film, one of the ‘2049’ producers gives fans one of the most detailed looks behind the curtain of the film yet.

Collider has the exclusive “journal” written during production by ‘2049’ producer Cynthia Yorkin. And when we say this journal is in-depth, we mean it. Covering the day-to-day activities from pre-production, through filming, and ending at the world premiere, Yorkin’s BTS diary covers every aspect of the film, revealing new bits and pieces that even the biggest “Blade Runner” fans probably aren’t aware of.

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She begins by raving about the film’s star Ryan Gosling, saying, “Ryan is so good in this with a combination of masculine, sexy strength and vulnerability.” But she doesn’t just fill her journal with sweet platitudes about her cast and crew. She also talks about some of the rough days, including the day where she was feeling under the weather, saying, “Bad allergies. The snow / rain / smoke machine has been working non-stop and is affecting my sinuses.”

Told you, this is detailed and in-depth.

Yorkin also describes the making of one of the best scenes in the film, which shows Gosling’s K interacting with a prostitute and his AI love. “Meanwhile we are filming the threesome scene today, which we refer to in one liner as the ‘shee-some.’ This has never been done before, this intricate dance wherein Ana [de Armas] and Makenzie [Davis] have to duplicate their exact moves to be blended together. Each cut has to be done twice to match. Ana once, then Mackenzie. John Nelson is brilliant with special effects,” explains the producer.

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Another interesting bit of the journal is how the producer, along with the people at Sony, helped figure out the title of the film, as “Blade Runner 2” was never going to work out. “I went to bed thinking about [the title] and woke up in the middle of the night with the idea ‘Blade Runner: Time to Live.’ It felt right. A play on words that refers to Roy Batty’s line from the first film ‘Time to die’ – one of the most important and beloved scenes in the original. ‘Time to Live’ foreshadows what our film is about – the replicants in the first film were never given the chance to live. It’s an homage with many layers, and it’s poetic,” Yorkin says.

Later on, after discussions, she updates her journal about the film’s title, saying, “Andrew [Kosove] told me they are going with ‘Blade Runner 2051’ (or ‘49’ if they want the exact 30-year span with the 9 again). He and Sony both liked my suggestion of ‘Time to Live’ as one of the top 3. Sony thinks they will end up using my title for one of their presentation pieces later down the road in marketing.”

If you’re someone that’s fascinated with BTS extras and how films like “Blade Runner 2049” come together, the journal is a must-read. And needless to say, if you’re obsessed with ‘2049’ and the entire world of “Blade Runner,” it’s required reading.