Blade Runner 2049: New footage wows CinemaCon attendees

The focus of Sony Pictures' CinemaCon panel was assumed to be its new sneak peek at Spider-Man: Homecoming, but a surprise was waiting in store.

Playlist reports that Sony Chairman Tom Rothman brought onto stage none other than Ryan Gosling, to debut brand new footage from this year's highly-anticipated sci-fi sequel, Blade Runner 2049.

Surprising, especially, considering the film's US and Canadian distributor is actually Warner Bros., with Sony Pictures acting as a distributor overseas. However, with Sony having financed half its production, it seems clear the studio is wanting to edge in on the ownership of what could, potentially, be one of the year's major hits.

"It was so surreal to be walking around the universe of Blade Runner," Gosling told the crowd. "The craftsmanship of this film is really on another level. Every location was real. Every set was there. Every prop was functional. It was a fully functioning, living, breathing world. And it made it so easy for us in the end because we could just focus on the internal world of these characters because the external world was so realised and full of detail."

Rothman revealed that part of the film takes place in Las Vegas, before debuting brand new footage.

*WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD*

The footage opened on Gosling's Officer K in what appears to be a replicant creation facility run by Jared Leto's character, though the room doesn't look particularly 'sci-fi'; instead boasting wood-panelled walls and stone staircases. Leto notes of the location, "We make angels". The scene intercuts with Officer K in an office arguing with Robin Wright's character, though their relationship is unclear.

The footage also revealed replicant Joi (Ana de Armas), who Office K watches be given birth, though that doesn't appear to hinder the pair having some extreme sexual tension. Also shown were plenty of major action set pieces, with explosions galore and even a shot of Harrison Ford running for his dear life.

Rothman ended the segment by announcing that more would be revealed at the Warner Bros. panel, which suggests at least some of this footage will eventually make its way online.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Gosling's new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret which could potentially plunge an already fractured society into total chaos. The discovery puts him on a journey to seek out Rick Deckard (Ford), the LAPD blade runner who's now been missing for the past 30 years. The film also stars Dave Bautista and Mackenzie Davis.

Blade Runner 2049 hits UK cinemas 6 October 2017.