Seven different versions of Blade Runner exist, but how different are they? The original theatrical release has voice over narration and a “happy ending” of Rachael and Deckard driving away on a mountain road taken from unused B-roll for Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film The Shining. Ridley Scott was even fired from the production hours after filming ended, but he was quickly rehired to make different cuts of the film.

For several years, Harrison Ford wouldn’t talk about his experiences making the film. With crew members wearing surgical masks to protect themselves from all the fog being used and actors working long night hours for months at a time, tensions ran high. Screenwriter David Webb Peoples was asked to re-write scenes during shooting, but production changes happened so quickly that his rewrites were useless as soon as he handed them in. Deciding to change lighting and set designs on the spot, his perfectionism caused many delays and reshoots.

The British director was used to stepping behind the camera himself, so their collaborative style didn’t sit well with him. One of the main problems for Scott was working with an American film crew. Twenty-five years and seven complete versions of the project later, Ridley Scott finally had a cut of the film that he felt truly represented his artistic vision. But its triumph in visual effects, contemplation of what it means to be human, and clever utilization of symbols is often overshadowed by the tensions and complications of its production history.

Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner is considered the crown jewel of the sci-fi genre. With Blade Runner 2049 about to undertake its opening weekend 35 years after the original films release and with new director Denis Villeneuve taking over the reins from Ridley Scott, here is a definitive guide to the tech-noir world of Blade Runner.

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