AUDIO COMMENTARY BY

HAMPTON FANCHER (writer)
DAVID PEOPLES (writer)
MICHAEL DEELEY (Producer)
KATHERINE HABER (Producer)

A delightful and insightful commentary. Deeley and Haber’s separately recorded commentary is a drier technical overlook of the production, but for me the commentary shines in Fancher and Peoples’ commentary where they tease each other about one another’s writing and hilariously misremember who wrote what. They have an adorably funny and brotherly relationship for two writers whose (who’s?) words were in constant competition for being put onscreen.

So yes, a recommendable track. But if ya ain’t gonna listen, here are my favorite tidbits from the commentary...

(NOTE: Hampton & David’s voices sounded similar so I hope I accurately attributed their quotes to the respective person. 🥴)

- Originally the script opened with the replicants breaking out of the off world colony, but there wasn’t enough money to shoot it. Hampton claims he prefers starting in LA, saying the original opening would’ve felt “artificial” and he prefers being “swept away” in LA.

- Kate says she was asked by Ridley to work with Sean Young on acting because he cast her for the looks being perfect, but she was inexperienced in acting at the time.

- Ridley asked for William Blake’s poetry to be inserted into the movie.

- MIchael says Blade Runner would’ve done better if released at Christmas because it wasn’t typical summer fare and it was too near E.T.’s release. He said there was a desire to get the money back spent on the picture as soon as possible.

- Hampton says it was a major dispute how Sebastian met Priss. He originally had Priss slip in while he was feeding his cat and lurk in the building.

- Hampton said the slow sequence of Deckard at the piano and later enhancing is “European” and modern movies are “afraid to do it” (be that slow).

- “Unicorns are out of my jurisdiction” - David Peoples

- One of Harrison’s initial reservations was that in the early scripts he was playing a detective that didn’t do much detecting.

- While filming Ridley did an interview with an English newspaper and was asked if he preferred working with English or American crews, to which he responded English crews. When that newspaper came out the American crew made shirts with anti-Ridley sentiments and wore them on set.

- HAMPTON: I like your ending of them two driving off into the mountains with the voiceover saying they lived happily ever after. DAVID: Oh fu-...listen I’m not gonna cuss on this commentary...but I didn’t write that.

- “This is a scene Michael Deely made me write”. - Hampton, on the love scene

“It didn’t come off as a love scene. Let’s put it this way, it lacked tenderness.” - Kate, on the love scene