‘Blade Runner’ Sequel Could Be Best Costume Film of 2017

Thirty-four years after Blade Runner hit the big screen, Hollywood is following up with a sequel to the 1982 sci-fi tech-noir action film. And the cast is shaping up quite nicely. As The Hollywood Reporter reported Thursday, Jared Leto is joining Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2, set to hit theaters in October 2017.

Given how much Leto is a fashion guy (remember that Gucci outfit?), it got us wondering: Will the Blade Runner sequel be the best costume film of 2017? It’s got a tough act to follow. In Ridley Scott’s classic thriller, costume designers Michael Kaplan and Charles Knode made a long-lasting impression with the exaggerated, sharp-angled pantsuits and oversized chevron-patterned fur coat seen on Sean Young, who played a replicant named Rachael. There’s also that transparent rain coat and bikini combo that Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) is seen running in.

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Those designs have not only appeared in museum exhibitions, but continue to influence fashion designers even now, as seen in the fall 2016 Opening Ceremony and Gareth Pugh collections. OC’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim even partnered with visual futurist and illustrator Syd Mead, who actually worked on Blade Runner, to create a Space Age-themed runway that saw inflatable hovercrafts designed by the artist.

IN THE FUTURE: A model on the Opening Ceremony fall 2016 runway (left); Sean Young as Rachael in Blade Runner; a model on the Gareth Pugh fall 2016 runway. (Photos: Edward James/WireImage Photofest; Luca Teuchmann/Getty Images)

Blade Runner‘s commanding take on the power suit seems particularly resonant now that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has made pantsuits her signature style, choosing a white Ralph Lauren number at the DNC, and the ladies in Hollywood (Beyonce, Lena Dunham and Universal chairman Donna Langley) are following suit.

For the sequel, Renee April has been listed as the movie’s costume designer on IMDb. Although it’s unclear where in the future the new film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, will take place, it’s safe to assume that the costumes will be in good hands with April. Her previous film credits have included Sicario (2015), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Source Code (2011), and she most recently wrapped on sci-fi drama Arrival, which stars Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.

The Blade Runner follow-up, which also will star Robin Wright and see the return of Harrison Ford as ex-police officer Rick Deckard — is set to be released Oct. 6, 2017, via Warner Bros.

ALL WRAPPED UP: Sean Young as Rachael in Blade Runner. (Photo: Photofest )