Ryan Gosling, Jack Black and Tom Holland Add Star Power to Sony’s CineEurope Presentation

If whoops and hollers are anything to go by, Ryan Gosling was undoubtedly the biggest star on the first day of CineEurope.

Gosling took to the stage in Barcelona alongside his Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve and co-stars Ana de Armas and Sylvia Hoeks to promote the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s cult classic at the end of Sony Pictures’ presentation. (Sony is handling the film in many international territories, while Warner Bros. is releasing it domestically.)

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at a photocall for the film earlier in the day, Gosling admitted that it wasn’t until he was 14 that he saw the 1982 original Blade Runner. 

“It’s iconic for a reason. It’s a very deep and powerful and haunting film,” said the actor. “It leaves you with more questions than answers and, as a kid, I wasn’t used to that. I was used to things being sewn up for me. It was exciting as a fan to know that some of those questions might get answered, and to go back into that universe and explore that world and see how things evolved.”

As for Villeneuve, Gosling said the helmer was “so loyal to the original, but at the same time wasn’t intimidated by it.”

Villeneuve pointed out to THR that Blade Runner star Harrison Ford actually had to approve him as director before the follow-up could proceed. 

“When Ridley decided to make a sequel, the first thing he did was to ask Harrison if he would be interested, because it would have been impossible to make the movie without him,” he said. “So I had to meet Harrison, and have a discussion about what I wanted to do with the movie, so he felt comfortable with me taking the wheel.”

While Ford wasn’t present in Barcelona, the CineEurope audience were treated to an exclusive behind-the-scenes video from the new film, which is set to begin its international rollout Oct. 4 and open Oct. 6 in the U.S. Sony is producing alongside Alcon and releasing in all international territories. 

Spider-Man: Homecoming was another blockbuster title in Sony’s lineup, introduced by its worldwide marketing and distribution chief Josh Greenstein and with new webslinger Tom Holland and director Jon Watts previewing the first 13 minutes of the reboot, which is set to bow July 7 in the U.S. 

“i can’t quite believe what’s happening to my life right now, I’m so happy,” Holland told THR at a photocall on Sunday. “I’ve loved every second of it. But this tour has probably been the hardest part of it all. I’m so tired. I just want to go home and cuddle my dog.”

Watts, meanwhile, said that putting Spider-Man into the Marvel universe for the first time on the big screen was one of the most exciting elements for him.

“That’s where he was always meant to be, he was introduced to give a kid’s perspective on this crazy world of superheroes, and up until now Spider-Man has been alone,” he said. 

Another major returnee in the showcase was Jumanji, with extended footage shown of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the sequel to the 1995 hit. CineEurope regular Jack Black introduced the film alongside newbie Nick Jonas. A day earlier, Black had explained to THR how the new pic — which also stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan — honored the late Robin Williams, with his character Adam Parrish having an important role. 

Sony also presented footage from the animated The Emoji Movie, plus exclusive clips from Peter Rabbit and Hotel Transylvania 3. 

Steven O’Dell, Sony’s president of international distribution, warned that Peter Rabbit — based on Beatrix Potter’s classic books, voiced by James Corden and due out next Easter — “wasn’t your mother’s Peter Rabbit.”

Studio 8’s Jeff Robinov was on hand to show clips from prehistoric actioner Alpha, plus the recently wrapped Matthew McConaughey-starrer White Boy Rick from director Yann Demange (’71) and based on a true story of an FBI drug informant.  

Clips from a trio of horror titles also ensured that it wasn’t just the air-conditioning keeping things chilled in the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona, with footage from Insidious 4, Cadaver and the sequel to 1990’s Flatliners screened.