Both Blade Runner Movies Making Their Way to HBO Max

Whether you've never seen two of the science fiction genre's most compelling stories or are hoping to revisit them, both Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 will be landing on HBO Max in February. Luckily, the original 1982 film will be debuting on the service a few weeks before its sequel is made available, allowing newcomers plenty of time to digest the ambitious endeavor. Additionally, rather than being the theatrical cut, fans will be able to check out Blade Runner: The Final Cut, marking the only version of the narrative in which director Ridley Scott had complete and ultimate control. Blade Runner: The Final Cut hits HBO Max on February 1st and Blade Runner 2049 hits HBO Max on February 26th.

When the original film hit theaters, it was largely a disappointment, likely due to the ways in which it explored existential themes about artificial intelligence and the nature of humanity. At the time, critics praised its visuals though chided its slower pace. More than 30 years later, Blade Runner 2049 similarly failed to make a major impact on audiences at large, though fared better with critics, possibly due to how beloved the original had grown over the years allowing audiences to approach it from a different perspective.

Given the financial performance of 2049, another film in the series seems unlikely, though director Denis Villeneuve knows just how much potential the concept has and would be happy to return.

"It's such an inspiring place, the Blade Runner world," Villeneuve shared with Empire last year. "The problem I have is the word 'sequel.' I think cinema needs original stories. But if you ask me if I'd like to revisit this universe in a different way, I can say yes. It would need to be a project on its own. Something disconnected from both other movies. A detective noir story set in the future… I wake up sometimes in the night dreaming about it."

Villeneuve isn't the only one interested in returning to that world, as Jared Leto also expressed interest in reprising his role from that film.

"With every character I play, I don't know if it's because I work so intently and I tend to dig really deep and put a lot of time and energy into it, but when I'm done playing with them, done playing the parts, I do miss them a little bit," Leto revealed to Jake's Takes. "And you do all this work anyway, it would be kind of nice to go back and explore other [characters]. Like Niander Wallace in Blade Runner, I would love to play that part again as a prequel or something."

Check out Blade Runner: The Final Cut on HBO Max on February 1st and Blade Runner 2049 on February 26th.

Will you be checking out the films on the streaming service? Let us know in the comments below!