As we approach the release of the highly anticipated sequel Blade Runner 2049, Warner Bros. is offering fans a tantalizing tease for the movie that’s sure to entice even greater interest. We at Collider are happy to exclusively premiere an “in-world” piece that explains what happened in the world of Blade Runner between the first movie, set in 2019, and this sequel, set in 2049. This in-world short film takes place in the year 2036 and revolves around Jared Leto’s character, Niander Wallace. In this short, directed by Luke Scott (Morgan), Wallace introduces a new line of “perfected” replicants called the Nexus 9, seeking to get the prohibition on replicants repealed. This no doubt has serious ramifications that will be crucial to the plot of Blade Runner 2049.

You may recall that at Comic-Con this summer, Warner Bros. unveiled a teaser that offered a bullet point rundown of the events that have occurred in the Blade Runner timeline since Ridley Scott’s original movie. This “in-world” piece is one of three short films that will debut ahead of Blade Runner 2049, which will further flesh out the Blade Runner universe with even more information. In 2023, government authorities legislated an indefinite “prohibition” on replicant production, as a year prior a massive EMP detonated on the West Coast and is pinned on replicants. So in this Wallace piece, we’ll see the beginnings of the new replicants that are created after the prohibition is lifted.

Check out the in-world piece below, titled “2036: Nexus Dawn.” Directed by Denis VilleneuveBlade Runner 2049 also stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Sylvia Hoeks, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, and Mackenzie Davis. Blade Runner 2049 opens in theaters on October 6th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Blade Runner 2049:

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Warner Bros.

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Image via Warner Bros.