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152-588: It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video (as a division of Warner Communications, Inc. ). The company launched in the United States with twenty films on Betamax and VHS videocassettes in late 1979. The company later expanded its line to include additional titles throughout 1979 and 1980. It is responsible for distributing the film and television library of Warner Bros. Discovery and other companies on various home media formats, such as DVD, Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, Digital, and streaming platforms. Some of

304-574: A filming location , and a Warner Bros. backlot housed the 2019 Los Angeles street sets . Other locations included the Ennis-Brown House and the 2nd Street Tunnel . Test screenings resulted in several changes, including adding a voice-over , a happy ending, and the removal of a Holden hospital scene. The relationship between the filmmakers and the investors was difficult, which culminated in Deeley and Scott being fired but still working on

456-417: A workprint . This, in conjunction with the film's popularity as a video rental, made it one of the earliest movies to be released on DVD . In 2007, Warner Bros.  released The Final Cut , a 25th-anniversary digitally remastered version; this is the only version over which Scott retained artistic control. The film is the first of the franchise of the same name . A sequel, titled Blade Runner 2049 ,

608-420: A "10th Anniversary Edition". Ridley Scott's Director's Cut (1992, 116 minutes) had significant changes from the theatrical version including the removal of Deckard's voice-over, the re-insertion of the unicorn sequence, and the removal of the studio-imposed happy ending. Scott provided extensive notes and consultation to Warner Bros. through film preservationist Michael Arick, who was put in charge of creating

760-615: A 10-year multinational joint-venture. In North America, their physical distribution operations were merged into a company named Studio Distribution Services, LLC. Internationally, Universal will distribute Warner Bros.' titles in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan; while Warner will distribute Universal's titles in the United Kingdom, Italy (until 2024) and Benelux. On April 7, 2020, the European Commission approved

912-458: A 71% stake in the merged company, which is expected to be led by Discovery's current CEO David Zaslav . Blade Runner Blade Runner is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples . Starring Harrison Ford , Rutger Hauer , Sean Young , and Edward James Olmos , it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick 's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The film

1064-502: A Golden Globe as best original score, and the promise of a soundtrack album from Polydor Records in the end titles of the film, the release of the official soundtrack recording was delayed for over a decade. There are two official releases of the music from Blade Runner . In light of the lack of a release of an album, the New American Orchestra recorded an orchestral adaptation in 1982 which bore little resemblance to

1216-488: A board meeting prompted Steve Case to contact each of the directors and push for CEO Gerald Levin's ouster. Although Case's coup attempt was rebuffed by Parsons and several other directors, Levin became frustrated with being unable to "regain the rhythm" at the combined company and handed in his resignation in the fall of 2001, effective in May 2002. Although Co-COO Bob Pittman was the strongest supporter of Levin and largely seen as

1368-608: A brief filed by the Justice Department, it was argued that the decision to approve the acquisition ran "contrary to fundamental economic logic and the evidence". On August 7, 2018, AT&T acquired the remaining controlling stake in Otter Media from the Chernin Group for an undisclosed amount. The company operated as a division of WarnerMedia. On August 29, 2018, Makan Delrahim told Recode that if

1520-418: A corporate mogul who built an empire on genetically manipulated humanoid slaves. William Sanderson was cast as J. F. Sebastian, a quiet and lonely genius who provides a compassionate yet compliant portrait of humanity. J. F. sympathizes with the replicants, whom he sees as companions, and he shares their shorter lifespan due to his rapid aging disease. Joe Pantoliano had earlier been considered for

1672-449: A discussion, he promises not to track her down. As Rachael abruptly tries to leave, Deckard restrains her and forces her to kiss him, and she ultimately relents. Deckard leaves Rachael at his apartment and departs to search for the remaining replicants. Roy arrives at Sebastian's apartment and tells Pris that the other replicants are dead. Sebastian reveals that because of a genetic premature aging disorder, his life will be cut short, like

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1824-407: A few others remain in private collections. A very advanced form of lie detector that measures contractions of the iris muscle and the presence of invisible airborne particles emitted from the body. The bellows were designed for the latter function and give the machine the menacing air of a sinister insect. The VK is used primarily by Blade Runners to determine if a suspect is truly human by measuring

1976-464: A government official the following day, with the latter criticizing the reports as being an effort to politicize the deal. Stephenson also disputed the relevance of CNN to the antitrust concerns surrounding the acquisition, as AT&T did not already own a national news channel. On November 20, 2017, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit over the acquisition; Delrahim stated that

2128-499: A joint venture between WBDHE and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment . The company was founded in 1978 and launched in the United States with twenty films on Betamax and VHS videocassettes in late 1979. The company later expanded its line to include additional titles throughout 1979 and 1980. Warner Bros. began to branch out into the videodisc market, licensing titles to MCA DiscoVision and RCA's SelectaVision videodisc formats, allowing both companies to market and distribute

2280-399: A launch title for the region there. Warner Bros. executive Warren Lieberfarb is often seen as "the father of DVD". Lieberfarb's successor, Warner Bros. executive James F. Cardwell was recognized in paving the way for WHV's strategic positioning in next generation technologies such as High Definition DVD ( HD DVD ), electronic sell-through and portable video. In 2003, Warner Home Video became

2432-494: A major corporate revamp that resulted in TBS, TNT and TruTV being brought back under the same umbrella as Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Boomerang and TCM, under a consolidation of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment's respective assets that formed the combined WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group unit. Casey Bloys—who has been with WarnerMedia since 2004 (as director of development at HBO Independent Productions), and

2584-504: A meeting between AT&T CEO Randall L. Stephenson and Makan Delrahim , assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division , indicated that AT&T had been recommended to divest DirecTV or Turner Broadcasting, seek alternative antitrust remedies, or abandon the acquisition. Some news outlets reported that AT&T had been ordered to specifically divest CNN, but these claims were denied by both Stephenson and

2736-618: A merger structure in which each original company merged into a newly created entity. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cleared the deal on December 14, 2000, and gave final approval on January 11, 2001; the company completed the merger later that day. The deal was approved on the same day by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and had already been cleared by the European Commission (EC) on October 11, 2000. AOL Time Warner Inc. , as

2888-523: A method also used by 20th Century Fox for their first release of Star Wars in 1982. Two known films released in this manner were Superman II and Excalibur . Other films released for rental use include Dirty Harry , The Enforcer , Prince of the City , and Sharky's Machine . In 1990, Warner Home Video acquired the worldwide home video rights to the MGM/UA catalog. The $ 125 million purchase

3040-485: A movie review aggregator. In June 2012, Time Warner acquired Alloy Entertainment , a publisher and television studio whose works are aimed at teen girls and young women. On August 6, 2012, Time Warner acquired Bleacher Report , a sports news website. The property was placed under the control of the Turner Sports division. On March 6, 2013, Time Warner intended to spin off its publishing division Time Inc. as

3192-411: A much longer than standard test, Deckard concludes privately to Tyrell that Rachael is a replicant who believes she is human. Tyrell explains that she is an experiment who has been given false memories to provide an "emotional cushion", and that she has no knowledge of her true nature. In searching Leon's hotel room, Deckard finds photos and a scale from the skin of an animal, which is later identified as

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3344-560: A personal, three-decade perspective. Denis Villeneuve , who directed the sequel, Blade Runner 2049 , cites the film as a huge influence for him and many others. It has also been noted for its postmodernist approach and that it contributes to the historical development of modern dystopia in film. Furthermore, the futuristic version of Los Angeles has been widely discussed by academics with some comparing it to Milton's descriptions of hell in Paradise Lost . A 2019 retrospective in

3496-452: A pre-existing licensing deal with MGM, was originally expected to expire in 2001. On December 20, 1996, Warner Home Video was one of the first major American distributors for the then-new DVD format, by releasing the films Assassins , Blade Runner: Director's Cut , Eraser , and The Fugitive on DVD in Japan and on March 24, 1997, in the United States with Blade Runner also being

3648-525: A result of planned cost cutting programs, the sale of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment was proposed, but ultimately abandoned due to COVID-19 related growth in the Gaming industry, as well as a positive reception to upcoming DC Comics , Lego Star Wars , and Harry Potter titles from fans and critics. Crunchyroll was sold to Sony 's Funimation for US$ 1.175 billion in December 2020, with

3800-479: A segment of Douglas Trumbull 's special effects for Blade Runner on the KNBC news. I recognized it immediately. It was my own interior world. They caught it perfectly." He also approved of the film's script, saying, "After I finished reading the screenplay, I got the novel out and looked through it. The two reinforce each other so that someone who started with the novel would enjoy the movie and someone who started with

3952-584: A separate, publicly traded company. The transaction was completed on June 6, 2014. In January 2014, Time Warner, Related Companies , and Oxford Properties Group announced that the then Time Warner intended to relocate the company's corporate headquarters and its New York City-based employees to 30 Hudson Yards in the Hudson Yards neighborhood in Chelsea, Manhattan , and has accordingly made an initial financial commitment. Time Warner sold its stake in

4104-403: A smaller company made up of Turner Broadcasting, Warner Bros. and HBO. On February 28, 2008, co-chairmen and co-CEOs of New Line Cinema Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne resigned from the 40-year-old movie studio in response to Jeffrey Bewkes' demand for cost-cutting measures at the studio, which he intended to dissolve into Warner Bros. In 2009, Time Warner spun out its Time Warner Cable division (it

4256-524: A synthetic snake scale. Deckard returns to his apartment where Rachael is waiting. She tries to prove her humanity by showing him a family photo, but Deckard reveals that her memories are implants from Tyrell's niece, and she leaves in tears. Replicants Roy and Leon meanwhile investigate a replicant eye-manufacturing laboratory and learn of J. F. Sebastian , a gifted genetic designer who works closely with Tyrell. Pris locates Sebastian and manipulates him to gain his trust. A photograph from Leon's apartment and

4408-451: A television production company, for £100 million. Its distribution operation, Outright Distribution, was folded into Warner Bros. International Television Production. On August 26, 2010, Time Warner acquired Chilevisión . WarnerMedia already operated in the country with CNN Chile . In May 2011, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group acquired Flixster , a movie discovery application company. The acquisition also includes Rotten Tomatoes ,

4560-413: A weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Initial reactions among film critics were mixed. Some wrote that the plot took a back seat to the film's special effects and did not fit the studio's marketing as an action and adventure film. Others acclaimed its complexity and predicted it would stand the test of time. Negative criticism in

4712-436: A world post ecocide , where warfare and capitalism have led to destruction of 'normal' ecological systems. Control over the environment is exercised on a vast scale, and goes hand in hand with the absence of any natural life; for example, artificial animals stand in for their extinct predecessors. This oppressive backdrop explains the frequently referenced migration of humans to "off-world" (extraterrestrial) colonies. Eyes are

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4864-450: Is by far the best science fiction film of the year." Academics began analyzing the film almost as soon as it was released. One of the first books on the film was Paul M. Sammon's Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner (1996), which dissects all the details concerning the film making. He was followed by Scott Bukatman 's Blade Runner and other books and academic articles. In Postmodern Metanarratives: Blade Runner and Literature in

5016-690: Is later reported dead. At Sebastian's apartment, Deckard is ambushed by Pris, but he kills her as Roy returns. Roy's body begins to fail as the end of his lifespan nears. He chases Deckard through the building and onto the roof. Deckard tries to jump onto another roof but is left hanging on the edge. Roy makes the jump with ease and, as Deckard's grip loosens, Roy hoists him onto the roof to save him. Before Roy dies, he laments that his memories " will be lost in time, like tears in rain ". Gaff arrives to congratulate Deckard, also reminding him that Rachael will not live, but "then again, who does?" Deckard returns to his apartment to retrieve Rachael. While escorting her to

5168-654: Is now part of Charter Communications), and later AOL, as independent companies; AOL was later purchased by Verizon in 2015. In the first quarter of 2010, Time Warner purchased additional interests in HBO Latin America Group for $ 217 million, which resulted HBO owning 80% of the equity interests of HBO LAG. In 2010, HBO purchased the remainder of its partners' interests in HBO Europe (formerly HBO Central Europe) for $ 136 million, net of cash acquired. In August 2010, Time Warner agreed to acquire Shed Media,

5320-601: Is on permanent exhibit at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in Seattle, Washington. Mead's conceptual drawings were transformed into 25 vehicles by automobile customizer Gene Winfield ; at least two were working ground vehicles, while others were light-weight mockups for crane shots and set decoration for street shots. Two of them ended up at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, but were later destroyed, and

5472-536: Is responsible for sales and distribution), while Turner gained access to Warner Bros.' post-1950 library, as well as other Warner Bros.-owned properties. The Turner deal also brought two separate film companies, New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment , both of which were integrated into Warner Bros. The Turner deal also gave Time Warner Entertainment access to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)'s pre-May 1986 library. Time Warner Entertainment completed its purchase of Six Flags Theme Parks in 1993 after buying half of

5624-671: Is set in a dystopian future Los Angeles of 2019, in which synthetic humans known as replicants are bio-engineered by the powerful Tyrell Corporation to work on space colonies . When a fugitive group of advanced replicants led by Roy Batty (Hauer) escapes back to Earth, burnt-out cop Rick Deckard (Ford) reluctantly agrees to hunt them down. Blade Runner initially underperformed in North American theaters and polarized critics; some praised its thematic complexity and visuals, while others critiqued its slow pacing and lack of action. The film's soundtrack , composed by Vangelis ,

5776-460: Is the only version over which Scott had complete artistic and editorial control. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an 89% approval rating based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Misunderstood when it first hit theaters, the influence of Ridley Scott's mysterious, neo-noir Blade Runner has deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece." Metacritic , which uses

5928-548: The AT&;T SportsNet regional networks led by CNN president Jeff Zucker . Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, their respective production studios, as well as Turner Classic Movies and Otter Media would be moved directly under Warner Bros. Gerhard Zeiler moved from being president of Turner International to chief revenue officer of WarnerMedia, and would oversee the consolidated advertising and affiliation sales. David Levy and HBO chief Richard Plepler stepped down as part of

6080-469: The BBC argued that elements of the film's socio-political themes remained prescient in the real year of the film's setting, such as its depiction of climate change . From a more philosophical perspective, Alison Landsberg described Scott's direction of the film as a "prosthetic memory"—an action that has never happened and appears to be divorced from lived experience, yet it defines personhood and identity within

6232-593: The Columbus Circle building for $ 1.3 billion to Related and two wealth funds. The move would be completed in 2019. In June 2014, Rupert Murdoch made a bid for Time Warner at $ 85 per share in stock and cash ($ 80 billion total) which Time Warner's board of directors turned down in July. Time Warner's CNN unit would have been sold to ease antitrust issues of the purchase. On August 5, 2014, Murdoch withdrew his offer to purchase Time Warner. On October 20, 2016, it

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6384-550: The Director's Cut . It is often falsely claimed that the unicorn sequence was an outtake from Ridley Scott's follow-up film Legend which also features unicorns, but it was in fact shot for Blade Runner as "additional photography" by second unit cinematographer Brian Tufano . Scott's definitive The Final Cut (2007, 117 minutes) was released by Warner Bros. theatrically on October 5, 2007, and subsequently released on DVD, HD DVD , and Blu-ray Disc in December 2007. This

6536-611: The International Cut (117 minutes), also known as the "Criterion Edition" or "uncut version", which included more violent action scenes than the U.S. version. Although initially unavailable in the U.S. and distributed in Europe and Asia via theatrical and local Warner Home Video releases, the International Cut was later released on VHS and The Criterion Collection Laserdisc in North America, and re-released in 1992 as

6688-405: The "retrofitted" future depicted in the film, one which is high-tech and gleaming in places but decayed and outdated elsewhere. In an interview with The Observer in 2002, director Ridley Scott described the film as "extremely dark, both literally and metaphorically, with an oddly masochistic feel". He also said that he "liked the idea of exploring pain" in the wake of his brother's death: "When he

6840-565: The 1970s and 1980s. It also owned DC Comics and Mad magazine . The European publishing division, which produced magazines and comics, was known as Williams Publishing ; thanks to a prior acquisition (from Gilberton World-Wide Publications ), it had European-language branches in the United Kingdom, Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Italy , the Netherlands, Norway , and Sweden . Most of these publishers were sold off around 1979. During its time as Warner Communications,

6992-481: The AOL division dropped significantly, not unlike the market valuation of similar independent internet companies that drastically fell, and forced a goodwill write-off , causing AOL Time Warner to report a loss of $ 99 billion in 2002 — at the time, the largest loss ever reported by a company. The total value of AOL stock subsequently went from $ 226 billion to about $ 20 billion. An outburst by Vice-Chairman Ted Turner at

7144-420: The AOL division for failing to meet expectations and dragging down the combined company. AOL Time Warner COO Pittman, who expected to have the divisions working closely towards convergence instead found heavy resistance from many division executives, who also criticized Pittman for adhering to optimistic growth targets for AOL Time Warner that were never met. Some of the attacks on Pittman were reported to come from

7296-583: The Age of Image , Décio Torres Cruz analyzes the philosophical and psychological issues and the literary influences in Blade Runner . He examines the film's cyberpunk and dystopic elements by establishing a link between the Biblical, classical and modern traditions and the postmodern aspects in the film's collage of several literary texts. The boom in home video formats helped establish a growing cult around

7448-469: The Department of Justice provided insufficient evidence that the proposed transaction would result in lessened competition. He also warned the government that attempting to obtain an appeal or stay on the ruling would be manifest unjust, as it would cause "certain irreparable harm to the defendants". On June 14, 2018, AT&T announced that it had closed the acquisition of Time Warner. Jeff Bewkes stepped down as CEO of Time Warner while retaining ties with

7600-591: The Los Angeles Select TV Guide , the studio sent Dick the Peoples rewrite. Although Dick died shortly before the film's release, he was pleased with the rewritten script and with a 20-minute special effects test reel that was screened for him when he was invited to the studio. Despite his well-known skepticism of Hollywood in principle, Dick enthused to Scott that the world created for the film looked exactly as he had imagined it. He said, "I saw

7752-509: The Time Inc. acquisition and the lawsuit, and allowing the two companies to merge, which was completed on January 10, 1990. US West partnered with Time Warner Entertainment in 1993 to form what was later known as TW Telecom , initially known as Time Warner Communications (also utilized as the brand name for cable operation previously under the ATC name), in order to bring telephone via fiber to

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7904-573: The Time Warner board on October 31, 2005. Jeff Bewkes , who eventually became CEO of Time Warner in 2008, described the 2001 merger with AOL as 'the biggest mistake in corporate history'. In 2005, Time Warner was among 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $ 250,000 to the second inauguration of President George W. Bush . On December 27, 2007, newly installed Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes discussed possible plans to spin off Time Warner Cable and sell off AOL and Time Inc. This would leave

8056-491: The Turner Broadcasting System. Its assets were dispersed across two new camps, WarnerMedia Entertainment and WarnerMedia News & Sports. WarnerMedia Entertainment would consist of HBO, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and the direct-to-consumer video service HBO Max. WarnerMedia News & Sports would have CNN Worldwide, Turner Sports (later known briefly as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, and TNT Sports from 2023), and

8208-587: The United States cited its slow pace. Sheila Benson from the Los Angeles Times called it "Blade Crawler", and Pat Berman in The State and Columbia Record described it as "science fiction pornography". Pauline Kael praised Blade Runner as worthy of a place in film history for its distinctive sci-fi vision, yet criticized the film's lack of development in "human terms". Ares magazine said, "Misunderstood by audiences and critics alike, it

8360-769: The WarnerMedia Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment assets into a new unit, WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group. On May 17, 2021, nearly three years after the acquisition, AT&T decided to leave the entertainment business by announcing that it had proposed to sell its ownership of WarnerMedia in a merger with Discovery, Inc. to form a new publicly traded company, Warner Bros. Discovery . The deal closed on April 8, 2022. The company's previous assets included Time Inc., TW Telecom , AOL , Time Warner Cable , AOL Time Warner Book Group , and Warner Music Group ; these operations were either sold to others or spun off as independent companies. The company

8512-533: The acquisition closing in August 2021. On December 21, 2020, WarnerMedia acquired You.i TV, an Ottawa , Ontario -based developer of tools for building cross-platform video streaming apps. The company's products have been the basis of various WarnerMedia streaming platforms, including AT&T TV Now and the Turner channels' apps, and would be used as part of international expansion of HBO Max. On May 16, 2021, it

8664-410: The acquisition, and was completed two days later, when the company became a subsidiary of AT&T. The company's final name was adopted a day later. Under AT&T, the company moved to launch a streaming service built around the company's content, known as HBO Max. WarnerMedia refolded Turner's entertainment-based networks under a singular umbrella unit on August 10, 2020, through a consolidation of

8816-429: The artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud contributed, as stylistic mood sources. He also drew on the landscape of " Hong Kong on a very bad day" and the industrial landscape of his one-time home in northeast England. The visual style of the movie is influenced by the work of futurist Italian architect Antonio Sant'Elia . Scott hired Syd Mead as his concept artist ; like Scott, he was influenced by Métal Hurlant . Moebius

8968-618: The case. On October 10, 2018, WarnerMedia announced that it would launch an over-the-top streaming service in late 2019, featuring content from its entertainment brands. On December 14, 2018, Kevin Reilly, president of TNT and TBS, was promoted to chief content officer of all WarnerMedia digital and subscription activities, including HBO Max, reporting to both Turner's president David Levy and WarnerMedia's CEO John Stankey. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. unanimously upheld

9120-525: The character's dialogue with Mitchum in mind. Director Ridley Scott and the film's producers spent months meeting and discussing the role with Dustin Hoffman , who eventually departed over differences in vision. Harrison Ford was ultimately chosen for several reasons, including his performance in the Star Wars films, Ford's interest in the Blade Runner story, and discussions with Steven Spielberg who

9272-507: The chief financial officer. According to AOL President and COO Bob Pittman, the slow-moving Time Warner Entertainment would now take off at Internet speed, accelerated by AOL: "All you need to do is put a catalyst to [Time Warner Entertainment], and in a short period, you can alter the growth rate. The growth rate will be like an Internet company." The vision for Time Warner Entertainment's future seemed clear and straightforward; by tapping into AOL, Time Warner Entertainment would reach deep into

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9424-530: The co-head of a new strategy committee of the board, making speeches to divisions on synergism and the promise of the Internet. However, under pressure from institutional investor vice-president Gordon Crawford who lined up dissenters, Case stated in January 2003 that he would not stand for re-election as executive chairman in the upcoming annual meeting, making CEO Richard Parsons the chairman-elect. In July 2003,

9576-586: The companies that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment distributes include Max , Warner Bros. Pictures , New Line Cinema , Warner Bros. Television , Warner Bros. Animation , Warner Bros. Pictures Animation , DC Entertainment , DC Studios , Viz Media , HBO , CNN , Cartoon Network , Adult Swim , TBS , TNT , TruTV , Turner Classic Movies , Rooster Teeth (until its closure in May 2024), Discovery Channel , Animal Planet , TLC , HGTV , Food Network , Amazon MGM Studios and among others. Their releases are currently distributed by Studio Distribution Services ,

9728-569: The company as senior advisor of AT&T. John Stankey , who headed the AT&;T/Time Warner integration team, took over as CEO. On the next day, AT&T renamed the company as WarnerMedia (legally Warner Media, LLC). On July 12, 2018, the Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal with the D.C. Circuit to reverse the District Court's approval. Although the Department of Justice reportedly contemplated requesting an injunction to stop

9880-499: The company dropped the "AOL" from its name, and spun off Time-Life 's ownership under the legal name Direct Holdings Americas, Inc. On November 24, 2003, Time Warner announced they would sell the Warner Music Group , which hosted a variety of acts such as Madonna and Prince , to an investor group led by Edgar Bronfman Jr. and Thomas H. Lee Partners , in order to cut its debt down to US $ 20 billion. Case resigned from

10032-449: The company in 1991, saving it from financial trouble. The company was later sold to Oklahoma-based theme park operator Premier Parks under certain terms and conditions on April 1, 1998. Dick Parsons, already a director on the board since 1991, was hired as Time Warner Entertainment president in 1995, although the division operational heads continued to report directly to chairman and CEO Gerald Levin . In 1991, HBO and Cinemax became

10184-506: The company in 2003, relegating the name to a subdivision under Time Warner Cable. On October 10, 1996, Time Warner Entertainment acquired Turner Broadcasting System , which was established by Ted Turner in 1965. Not only did this result in the company re-entering the cable television industry as a national programmer, but Warner Bros. also regained the rights to their pre-1950 film library, which by then had been owned by Turner (the films are still technically held by Turner, but Warner Bros.

10336-421: The company made several further acquisitions. In 1979, Warner formed a joint venture with credit card company American Express called Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment . This company owned such cable channels as MTV , Nickelodeon , The Movie Channel , and VH1 (which was launched in 1985 on the channel space left by Turner 's Cable Music Channel ). Warner bought out American Express's half in 1984 and sold

10488-526: The company was then called, was supposed to be a merger of equals with top executives from both sides. Gerald Levin , who had served as chairman and CEO of Time Warner Entertainment, was CEO of the new company. AOL co-founder Steve Case served as Executive Chairman of the board of directors, Robert W. Pittman (president and COO of AOL) and Dick Parsons (president of Time Warner) served as Co-Chief Operating Officers, and J. Michael Kelly (the CFO from AOL) became

10640-644: The date of commencement of principal photography neared, Filmways withdrew financial backing. In ten days Deeley had secured $ 21.5 million in financing through a three-way deal between the Ladd Company (through Warner Bros.), the Hong Kong-based producer Sir Run Run Shaw and Tandem Productions . Dick became concerned that no one had informed him about the film's production, which added to his distrust of Hollywood. After Dick criticized an early version of Fancher's script in an article written for

10792-450: The deal from closing after the District Court's ruling, the department ultimately did not file the motion because WarnerMedia's operation as a separate group from the rest of AT&T would make the business relatively easy to unwind should the appeal be successful. The next day, however, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson told CNBC that the appeal would not affect its plans to integrate WarnerMedia into AT&T, or services already launched. In

10944-449: The deal would "greatly harm American consumers". AT&T asserted that this suit was a "radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent". On December 22, 2017, the merger agreement deadline was extended to June 21, 2018, under a vote of confidence. On June 12, 2018, District Judge Richard J. Leon ruled in favor of AT&T, thus allowing the acquisition to go ahead with no conditions or remedies. Leon argued that

11096-588: The deal, leaving the review to the Department of Justice (DOJ). On March 15, 2017, the merger was approved by the European Commission (EC). On August 22, 2017, the merger was approved by the Mexican Comisión Federal de Competencia . On September 5, 2017, the merger was approved by the Chilean Fiscalía Nacional Económica. In the wake of the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump , Time Warner's ownership of CNN

11248-567: The degree of his empathic response through carefully worded questions and statements.  – Description from the original press kit. The Voight-Kampff machine is a fictional interrogation tool, originating from the novel (where it is spelled "Voigt-Kampff"). The Voight-Kampff is a polygraph -like machine used by blade runners to determine whether an individual is a replicant. It measures bodily functions such as respiration, blush response, heart rate and eye movement in response to questions dealing with empathy . In real life an approximation of

11400-438: The delay of an official release of the original recordings, and in 1993 "Off World Music, Ltd" created a bootleg CD that would prove more comprehensive than Vangelis' official CD in 1994. A set with three CDs of Blade Runner -related Vangelis music was released in 2007. Titled Blade Runner Trilogy , the first disc contains the same tracks as the 1994 official soundtrack release, the second features previously unreleased music from

11552-459: The elevator, he notices a small origami unicorn on the floor. He recalls Gaff's words and departs with Rachael. Interest in adapting Philip K. Dick 's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? developed shortly after its 1968 publication. Director Martin Scorsese was interested in filming the novel, but never optioned it. Producer Herb Jaffe optioned it in the early 1970s, but Dick

11704-511: The entertainment assets of Turner Broadcasting , HBO , and Cinemax as well as Warner Bros. , which itself consisted of the film, animation, television studios, the company's home entertainment division and Studio Distribution Services, its joint venture with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment , DC Comics , New Line Cinema , and, together with CBS Entertainment Group , a 50% interest in The CW ); WarnerMedia News & Sports (consisted of

11856-454: The expected synergies between AOL and other Time Warner Entertainment divisions never materialized, as most Time Warner Entertainment divisions were considered independent fiefs that rarely cooperated prior to the merger. A new incentive program that granted options based on the performance of AOL Time Warner, replacing the cash bonuses for the results of their own division, caused resentment among Time Warner Entertainment division heads who blamed

12008-568: The fictional " Cityspeak " language his character uses in the film. His initial address to Deckard at the noodle bar is partly in Hungarian and means, "Horse dick [bullshit]! No way. You are the Blade ;... Blade Runner." M. Emmet Walsh portrays Captain Bryant, a rumpled, hard-drinking and underhanded police veteran typical of the film noir genre. Joe Turkel portrays Dr. Eldon Tyrell,

12160-599: The film's soundscape also features a track by the Japanese ensemble Nipponia – "Ogi no Mato" or "The Folding Fan as a Target" from the Nonesuch Records release Traditional Vocal and Instrumental Music  – and a track by harpist Gail Laughton from "Harps of the Ancient Temples" on Laurel Records. Despite being well received by fans and critically acclaimed and nominated in 1982 for a BAFTA and

12312-409: The film, which scholars have dissected for its dystopic aspects, questions regarding "authentic" humanity, ecofeminist aspects and use of conventions from multiple genres. Popular culture began to reassess its impact as a classic several years after it was released. Roger Ebert praised the visuals of both the original and the Director's Cut and recommended it for that reason; however, he found

12464-698: The film, and Mark Stetson served as chief model maker. Blade Runner has numerous similarities to Fritz Lang 's Metropolis , including a built-up urban environment, in which the wealthy literally live above the workers, dominated by a huge building – the Stadtkrone Tower in Metropolis and the Tyrell Building in Blade Runner . Special effects supervisor David Dryer used stills from Metropolis when lining up Blade Runner ' s miniature building shots. The extended end scene in

12616-483: The film. Crew members created T-shirts during filming saying, "Yes Guv'nor, My Ass" that mocked Scott's unfavorable comparison of U.S. and British crews; Scott responded with a T-shirt of his own, "Xenophobia Sucks", making the incident known as the T-shirt war. Casting the film proved troublesome, particularly for the lead role of Deckard. Screenwriter Hampton Fancher envisioned Robert Mitchum as Deckard and wrote

12768-403: The films under their labels. By 1985, Warner was releasing material under their own label in both formats. Titles from Warner Home Video were and continue to be distributed and manufactured by Roadshow Home Video worldwide except for Australia and New Zealand because of its film counterpart's films released by Village Roadshow . Warner also experimented with the "rental-only" market for videos,

12920-704: The first home video releasing company to release movies only on DVD with no VHS equivalent. In 2009, Warner Home Video introduced the Warner Archive Collection , which allows the public to order custom-made DVDs of rarely seen films and TV series from the Warner and Turner libraries. The films are also available as digital downloads. Warner Archive DVDs and downloads can be ordered online on Warner's website, on Amazon.com or one-time Turner Classic Movies -affiliated DVD website MoviesUnlimited.com. In June 30, 2020, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment returned

13072-484: The first premium pay services to offer multiplexing to cable customers, with companion channels supplementing the main networks. In 1993, HBO became the world's first digitally transmitted television service. In 1995, CNN introduced CNN.com which later became a leading destination for global digital news, both online and mobile. In 1996, Warner Bros. spearheaded the introduction of the DVD, which gradually replaced VHS tapes as

13224-478: The government were to win the appeal, AT&T would only sell Turner and if they lost the appeal then the February 2019 expiration of a consent decree AT&T reached with the Justice Department shortly before the deal closed would allow AT&T to do what they want with Turner. The appeal was expected to have zero impact on the integration. By September 2018, nine state Attorneys General sided with AT&T on

13376-427: The heir-apparent, Dick Parsons was instead chosen as CEO. Time Warner Entertainment CFO J. Michael Kelly was demoted to COO of the AOL division and replaced as CFO by Wayne Pace. AOL Chairman and CEO Barry Schuler was removed from his position and placed in charge of a new "content creation division", being replaced on an interim basis by Pittman, who was already serving as the sole COO after Parsons' promotion. Many of

13528-527: The home video rights to the MGM calalog after 21 years. Starting in 2022, due to the finalization of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, WBHE started distributing the television libraries of Discovery-owned networks including the flagship Discovery Channel and Animal Planet . On January 14, 2020, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they would partner on

13680-453: The homes of tens of millions of new customers. AOL would use Time Warner Entertainment's high-speed cable lines to deliver to its subscribers Time Warner Entertainment's branded magazines, books, music, and movies. This would have created 130 million subscription relationships. However, the growth and profitability of the AOL division stalled due to advertising and loss of market share to the growth of high-speed broadband providers. The value of

13832-420: The human story clichéd and a little thin. He later added The Final Cut to his "Great Movies" list. Critic Chris Rodley and Janet Maslin theorized that Blade Runner changed cinematic and cultural discourse through its image repertoire and subsequent influence on films. In 2012, Time film critic Richard Corliss surgically analyzed the durability, complexity, screenplay, sets and production dynamics from

13984-410: The lower court's ruling in favor of AT&T on February 26, 2019, stating it did not believe the merger with Time Warner would have a negative impact on either consumers or competition. The Justice Department declined to appeal the decision further, thus allowing the consent decree to expire. On March 4, 2019, AT&T announced a major reorganization of its broadcasting assets to effectively break-up

14136-401: The masses. US West also took a 26% stake in the entertainment portion of the company, calling that division Time Warner Entertainment. US West's stake eventually passed to acquired cable company MediaOne , then to AT&T Broadband in 1999 when that company acquired MediaOne, then finally to Comcast in 2001 when that company bought the AT&T Broadband division. Comcast sold their stake in

14288-404: The memories of Tyrell's niece, causing her to believe she is human; Nina Axelrod auditioned for the role. Fancher originally wrote the role for his then girlfriend Barbara Hershey . Daryl Hannah portrays Pris, a "basic pleasure model" replicant; Stacey Nelkin auditioned for the role, but was given another part in the film, which was ultimately cut before filming. Debbie Harry turned down

14440-459: The merger, were chosen because they were considered the most successful operational executives in the conglomerate and they would report to AOL Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons. Logan, generally admired at Time Warner Entertainment and reviled by AOL for being a corporate timeserver who stressed incremental steady growth and not much of a risk-taker, moved to purge AOL of Pittman allies. AOL Time Warner Chairman Steve Case took on added prominence as

14592-501: The merger. Since June 1, 2021, SDS' logo took the WBHE logo's place on the back covers of the home releases; while there have been several exceptions that had the WBHE logo in place, mainly manufactured on demand titles, including 4K (including steelbooks) and Blu-ray releases. It is unknown whenever SDS uses an on-screen logo; as where Warner releases by SDS use the 2017–present Warner Bros. Home Entertainment logo. On June 24, 2024, it

14744-405: The movie would enjoy the novel." The motion picture was dedicated to Dick. Principal photography of Blade Runner began on March 9, 1981, and ended four months later. In 1992, Ford revealed, " Blade Runner is not one of my favorite films. I tangled with Ridley." Apart from friction with the director, Ford also disliked the voiceovers : "When we started shooting it had been tacitly agreed that

14896-479: The movie, and the third disc is all newly composed music from Vangelis, inspired by, and in the spirit of the movie. The film's special effects are generally recognized to be among the best in the genre, using the available (non-digital) technology to the fullest. Special effects engineers who worked on the film are often praised for the innovative technology they used to produce and design certain aspects of those visuals. In addition to matte paintings and models,

15048-556: The music on his synthesizers. He also made use of various chimes and the vocals of collaborator Demis Roussos . Another memorable sound is the tenor sax solo "Love Theme" by British saxophonist Dick Morrissey , who performed on many of Vangelis's albums. Ridley Scott also used "Memories of Green" from the Vangelis album See You Later , an orchestral version of which Scott would later use in his film Someone to Watch Over Me . Along with Vangelis's compositions and ambient textures,

15200-408: The nature of his own humanity. It is a literate science fiction film, thematically enfolding the philosophy of religion and moral implications of human mastery of genetic engineering in the context of classical Greek drama and hubris . It also draws on Biblical images, such as Noah's flood , and literary sources, such as Frankenstein and William Blake . Although Scott said any similarity

15352-441: The new company while Time Warner Entertainment shareholders owned only 45%, so in actual practice AOL had merged with Time Warner Entertainment, even though Time Warner Entertainment had far more assets and revenues. Time Warner Entertainment had been looking for a way to embrace the digital revolution, while AOL wanted to anchor its stock price with more tangible assets. The deal, officially filed on February 11, 2000, employed

15504-413: The new streaming service. On May 31, 2019, Otter Media was transferred from Warner Bros. to WarnerMedia Entertainment, and Otter's COO Andy Forssell became the executive vice president and general manager of the streaming service, while still reporting to Otter CEO Tony Goncalves — who would lead development. On July 9, 2019, it was announced that the new streaming service would be known as HBO Max , which

15656-603: The newly created media and communications group, overseeing America Online, Time, Time Warner Cable, the AOL Time Warner Book Group, and the Interactive Video unit, relegating AOL to being just another division in the conglomerate. Bewkes became chairman of the entertainment and networks group, comprising HBO, Cinemax, New Line Cinema, The WB, TNT, Turner Networks, Warner Bros., and Warner Music Group. Both Logan and Bewkes, who had initially opposed

15808-475: The news and sports assets of Turner Broadcasting, including CNN , Turner Sports , and AT&T SportsNet ); WarnerMedia Sales & Distribution (consisted of digital media company Otter Media ); and WarnerMedia Direct (consisted of the HBO Max streaming service). Despite spinning off Time Inc. in 2014, the company retained the Time Warner name until 2018, when the company was renamed WarnerMedia after it

15960-504: The novel, and Scott wanted changes. Fancher found a cinema treatment by William S. Burroughs for Alan E. Nourse 's novel The Bladerunner (1974), titled Blade Runner (a movie) . Scott liked the name, so Deeley obtained the rights to the titles. Eventually, he hired David Peoples to rewrite the script and Fancher left the job over the issue on December 21, 1980, although he later returned to contribute additional rewrites. Having invested over $ 2.5 million in pre-production, as

16112-526: The original theatrical release shows Rachael and Deckard traveling into daylight with pastoral aerial shots filmed by director Stanley Kubrick . Ridley Scott contacted Kubrick about using some of his surplus helicopter aerial photography from The Shining . "Spinner" is the generic term for the fictional flying cars used in the film. A spinner can be driven as a ground-based vehicle, and take off vertically, hover, and cruise much like vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. They are used extensively by

16264-428: The original. Some of the film tracks would, in 1989, surface on the compilation Vangelis: Themes , but not until the 1992 release of the Director's Cut version would a substantial amount of the film's score see commercial release. These delays and poor reproductions led to the production of many bootleg recordings over the years. A bootleg tape surfaced in 1982 at science fiction conventions and became popular given

16416-403: The police as patrol cars , and wealthy people can also acquire spinner licenses. The vehicle was conceived and designed by Syd Mead who described the spinner as an aerodyne  – a vehicle which directs air downward to create lift , though press kits for the film stated that the spinner was propelled by three engines: "conventional internal combustion , jet , and anti-gravity ". A spinner

16568-802: The previews led to the modifications resulting in the U.S. theatrical version. The workprint was shown as a director's cut without Scott's approval at the Los Angeles Fairfax Theater in May 1990, at an AMPAS showing in April 1991, and in September and October 1991 at the Los Angeles NuArt Theater and the San Francisco Castro Theatre. Positive responses pushed the studio to approve work on an official director's cut. A San Diego Sneak Preview

16720-533: The print media in the Time, Inc. division under Don Logan . Furthermore, CEO Parsons' democratic style prevented Pittman from exercising authority over the "old-guard" division heads who resisted Pittman's synergy initiatives. Pittman resigned as AOL Time Warner COO after July 4, 2002, being reportedly burned out by the AOL special assignment and almost hospitalized, unhappy about the criticism from Time Warner executives, and seeing nowhere to move up in firm as Parsons

16872-645: The production of the film saying: "What I remember more than anything else when I see Blade Runner is not the 50 nights of shooting in the rain, but the voiceover ... I was still obliged to work for these clowns that came in writing one bad voiceover after another." Ridley Scott confirmed in the summer 2007 issue of Total Film that Harrison Ford contributed to the Blade Runner Special Edition DVD, and had already recorded his interviews. "Harrison's fully on board", said Scott. The Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles served as

17024-417: The project, but after leaving the slow production of Dune , wanted a faster-paced project to take his mind off his older brother's recent death. He joined the project on February 21, 1980, and managed to push up the promised Filmways financing from US$ 13 million to $ 15 million. Fancher's script focused more on environmental issues and less on issues of humanity and religion, which are prominent in

17176-584: The reorganization, which was described by The Wall Street Journal as being intended to end "fiefdoms". Turner Podcast Network, formed within Turner Content Distribution in 2017, became WarnerMedia Podcast Network by May 2019. In May 2019, Kevin Reilly signed a four-year extension of his contract with the company, which additionally made him president of TruTV (alongside the other three WarnerMedia Entertainment basic cable networks), and chief content officer of direct-to-consumer for

17328-424: The replicants that were built with a four-year lifespan. Roy uses Sebastian to gain entrance to Tyrell's penthouse. He demands more life from his maker, which Tyrell says is impossible. Roy confesses that he has done "questionable things" but Tyrell dismisses this, praising Roy's advanced design and accomplishments in his short life. Roy kisses Tyrell and then kills him by crushing his skull. Sebastian tries to flee and

17480-458: The role of Pris. Casting Pris and Rachael was challenging, requiring several screen tests with Morgan Paull playing the role of Deckard. Paull was cast as Deckard's fellow bounty hunter Holden based on his performances in the tests. Brion James portrays Leon Kowalski, a combat and laborer replicant, and Joanna Cassidy portrays Zhora, an assassin replicant. Edward James Olmos portrays Gaff. Olmos drew on diverse ethnic sources to help create

17632-474: The role. James Hong portrays Hannibal Chew, an elderly geneticist specializing in synthetic eyes, and Hy Pyke portrayed the sleazy bar owner Taffey Lewis – in a single take, something almost unheard-of with Scott, whose drive for perfection resulted at times in double-digit takes. Scott credits Edward Hopper 's painting Nighthawks and the French science fiction comics magazine Métal Hurlant , to which

17784-449: The same umbrella as AT&T's telecommunication holdings, including satellite provider DirecTV . The deal faced criticism for the possibility that AT&T could use Time Warner content as leverage to discriminate against or limit access to the content by competing providers. On February 15, 2017, Time Warner shareholders approved the merger. On February 28, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai refused to review

17936-461: The second question. Bryant wants Deckard to retire Leon and three other Nexus-6 replicants: Roy Batty , Zhora , and Pris . Bryant has Deckard meet with the CEO of the company that creates the replicants, Eldon Tyrell , so he can administer the test on a Nexus-6 to see if it works. Tyrell expresses his interest in seeing the test fail first and asks him to administer it on his assistant Rachael . After

18088-532: The snake scale lead Deckard to a strip club, where Zhora works. After a confrontation and chase, Deckard kills Zhora. Bryant also orders him to retire Rachael, who has disappeared from the Tyrell Corporation. Deckard spots Rachael in a crowd, but he is ambushed by Leon, who knocks the gun out of Deckard's hand and beats him. As Leon is about to kill Deckard, Rachael saves him by using Deckard's gun to kill Leon. They return to Deckard's apartment and, during

18240-402: The standard format for home video in the late 1990s and early to mid-2000s. In 1999, HBO became the first national cable television network to broadcast a high–definition version of its channel. In January 2000, America Online (AOL) stated its intentions to purchase Time Warner Entertainment for $ 183 billion. Due to the larger market capitalization of AOL, their shareholders would own 55% of

18392-466: The techniques employed included multipass exposures. In some scenes, the set was lit, shot, the film rewound, and then rerecorded over with different lighting. In some cases this was done 16 times in all. The cameras were frequently motion controlled using computers . Many effects used techniques which had been developed during the production of Close Encounters of the Third Kind . Blade Runner

18544-583: The test using questions was created and used in jest by a newspaper in 2003 on the Mayoral candidates for the city of San Francisco , United States, apparently proving that at least half of them would be classified as replicants. The Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis is a dark melodic combination of classic composition and futuristic synthesizers which mirrors the film noir retro-future envisioned by Scott. Vangelis, fresh from his Academy Award -winning score for Chariots of Fire , composed and performed

18696-493: The two companies were to merge. During the summer of 1989, Paramount Communications (then Gulf+Western ) launched a $ 12.2 billion hostile bid to acquire Time Inc. in an attempt to end a stock-swap merger deal between Time Inc. and Warner Communications. Time Inc. raised its bid to $ 14.9 billion in cash and stock. Paramount responded by filing a lawsuit in a Delaware court to block the Time Warner merger. The court ruled twice in favor of Time Inc., forcing Paramount to drop both

18848-556: The venture a year later to the original iteration of Viacom , which renamed it MTV Networks (now known as Paramount Media Networks). In 1982, Warner purchased Popular Library from CBS Publications . By the mid to late 1980s, Warner began to face financial difficulties. From 1976 to 1984, Warner Communications owned Atari, Inc. , but suffered substantial losses due to the video game crash of 1983 , and had to spin them off in 1984. Taking advantage of Warner Communications' financial situation, Time Inc. announced on March 4, 1989, that

19000-497: The version of the film that we had agreed upon was the version without voiceover narration. It was a f**king [ sic ] nightmare. I thought that the film had worked without the narration. But now I was stuck re-creating that narration. And I was obliged to do the voiceovers for people that did not represent the director's interests." "I went kicking and screaming to the studio to record it." The narration monologs were written by an uncredited Roland Kibbee . In 2006, Scott

19152-446: The wider Blade Runner universe. Blade Runner won or received nominations for the following awards: The film operates on multiple dramatic and narrative levels. It employs some of the conventions of film noir , among them the character of a femme fatale ; narration by the protagonist (in the original release); chiaroscuro cinematography; and giving the hero a questionable moral outlook – extended to include reflections upon

19304-533: The work of Dick to Hollywood's attention and led to several film adaptations of his works . In 1993, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress . Seven different versions of Blade Runner exist as a result of controversial changes requested by studio executives. A director's cut was released in 1992 after a strong response to test screenings of

19456-408: Was acquired by AT&T. On October 22, 2016, AT&T officially announced that they intended on acquiring Time Warner for $ 85.4 billion (or $ 108.7 billion when including assumed Time Warner debt), valuing the company at $ 107.50 per share. The proposed merger was confirmed on June 12, 2018, after AT&T won an antitrust lawsuit that the U.S. Justice Department filed in 2017 to attempt to block

19608-481: Was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T . It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City . It was established as Time Warner in 1990, following a merger between Time Inc. and Warner Communications. The company had film, television and cable operations. Its assets included WarnerMedia Studios & Networks (which consisted of

19760-462: Was asked "Who's the biggest pain in the arse you've ever worked with?" He replied: "It's got to be Harrison ... he'll forgive me because now I get on with him. Now he's become charming. But he knows a lot, that's the problem. When we worked together it was my first film up and I was the new kid on the block. But we made a good movie." Ford said of Scott in 2000: "I admire his work. We had a bad patch there, and I'm over it." In 2006 Ford reflected on

19912-483: Was cast as Roy Batty, the violent yet thoughtful leader of the replicants. Scott cast Hauer without having met him, based on his performances in Paul Verhoeven 's movies that Scott had seen ( Katie Tippel , Soldier of Orange , and Turkish Delight ). Hauer's portrayal of Batty was regarded by Philip K. Dick as "the perfect Batty – cold, Aryan , flawless". Of the many films Hauer made, Blade Runner

20064-450: Was considered a potential source of scrutiny for the deal, as Trump had repeatedly criticized the network for how it covered his administration , and stated during his campaign that he planned to block the acquisition because of the potential impact of the resulting consolidation. Following his election, however, his transition team stated that the government planned to evaluate the deal without prejudice. On November 8, 2017, reports of

20216-478: Was eventually elevated to President of Programming at HBO and Cinemax in May 2016—added oversight of WarnerMedia's basic cable networks and HBO Max to his purview. In October 2020, it was announced that the company was planning to execute over a 1,000 job cuts in order to reduce costs. WarnerMedia plans to reduce costs by at least 20% in order to deal with the profit shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . As

20368-544: Was finishing Raiders of the Lost Ark at the time and strongly praised Ford's work in the film. Following his success in those two films, Ford was looking for a role with dramatic depth. According to production documents, several actors were considered for the role, including Gene Hackman , Sean Connery , Jack Nicholson , Paul Newman , Clint Eastwood , Tommy Lee Jones , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Peter Falk , Nick Nolte , Al Pacino and Burt Reynolds . Rutger Hauer

20520-404: Was firmly entrenched as CEO. Pittman's departure was seen as a great victory to Time Warner executives who wanted to undo the merger. In a sign of AOL's diminishing importance to the media conglomerate, Pittman's responsibilities were divided between two Time Warner Entertainment veterans; Jeffrey Bewkes who was CEO of Home Box Office, and Don Logan who had been CEO of Time. Logan became chairman of

20672-490: Was his favorite. In a live chat in 2001, he said " Blade Runner needs no explanation. It just [is] . All of the best. There is nothing like it. To be part of a real masterpiece which changed the world's thinking. It's awesome." Hauer rewrote his character's " tears in rain " speech himself and presented the words to Scott on set prior to filming. Blade Runner used a number of then-lesser-known actors: Sean Young portrays Rachael, an experimental replicant implanted with

20824-471: Was ill, I used to go and visit him in London, and that was really traumatic for me." A sense of foreboding and paranoia pervades the world of the film: corporate power looms large; the police seem omnipresent; vehicle and warning lights probe into buildings; and the consequences of huge biomedical power over the individual are explored – especially regarding replicants' implanted memories. The film depicts

20976-518: Was launched on May 27, 2020. In September 2019, Stankey was promoted to AT&T president and chief operating officer. By April 1, 2020, former Hulu chief Jason Kilar took over as WarnerMedia CEO. In August 2020, the company had a significant restructuring laying off around 800 employees including around 600 from Warner and 150+ from HBO. At WarnerMedia's Atlanta base, marketing and cable operations teams were particularly affected. On August 10, 2020, WarnerMedia restructured several of its units in

21128-409: Was merely coincidental, fans claimed that the chess game between Sebastian and Tyrell was based on the famous Immortal Game of 1851. Blade Runner delves into the effects of technology on the environment and society by reaching to the past, using literature, religious symbolism , classical dramatic themes, and film noir techniques. This tension between past, present, and future is represented in

21280-519: Was nominated in 1982 for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe as best original score . Blade Runner later became a cult film , and has since come to be regarded as one of the greatest science fiction films . Hailed for its production design depicting a high-tech but decaying future, the film is often regarded as both a leading example of neo-noir cinema and a foundational work of the cyberpunk genre. It has influenced many science fiction films, video games , anime , and television series. It also brought

21432-405: Was offered the opportunity to assist in the pre-production of Blade Runner , but he declined so that he could work on René Laloux 's animated film Les Maîtres du temps  – a decision that he later regretted. Production designer Lawrence G. Paull and art director David Snyder realized Scott's and Mead's sketches. Douglas Trumbull and Richard Yuricich supervised the special effects for

21584-544: Was ranked No. 98 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. On February 10, 1972, the entertainment assets of the Kinney National Company were reincorporated as Warner Communications due to a financial scandal involving price fixing in its parking operations. Warner Communications served as the parent company for Warner Bros. Pictures , the Warner Music Group (WMG), Warner Books and Warner Cable during

21736-660: Was released close to other major science-fiction and fantasy releases such as The Thing , Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Conan the Barbarian and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , which affected its commercial success. Several versions of Blade Runner have been shown. The original workprint version (1982, 113 minutes) was shown for audience test previews in Denver and Dallas in March 1982. Negative responses to

21888-422: Was released in 1,290 theaters on June 25, 1982. That date was chosen by producer Alan Ladd Jr. because his previous highest-grossing films ( Star Wars and Alien ) had a similar opening date (May 25) in 1977 and 1979, making the 25th of the month his "lucky day". Blade Runner grossed reasonably good ticket sales in its opening weekend; earning $ 6.1 million during its first weekend in theaters. The film

22040-405: Was released in 2017 alongside a trilogy of short films covering the thirty-year span between the two films' settings. The anime series Blade Runner: Black Lotus was released in 2021. In 2019 Los Angeles, former police officer Rick Deckard is detained by Officer Gaff , who likes to make origami figures, and is brought to his former supervisor, Bryant . Deckard, whose job as a "blade runner"

22192-477: Was reported that AT&T was in talks to acquire Time Warner. The proposed deal would give AT&T significant holdings in the media industry. AT&T's competitor Comcast had previously acquired NBCUniversal in a similar bid to increase its media holdings, in concert with its ownership of television and internet providers. On October 22, 2016, AT&T reached a deal to buy Time Warner for $ 85.4 billion. The merger would bring Time Warner's properties under

22344-702: Was reported that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment had entered into a distribution deal with SDS to handle the physical distribution of titles from Sony Pictures ( Columbia Pictures , TriStar Pictures , Screen Gems , Crunchyroll, LLC , etc.) as well as those from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment ( Walt Disney Pictures , Marvel Studios , Lucasfilm Ltd. , 20th Century Studios , etc.), Lionsgate Home Entertainment ( Lionsgate Films , Summit Entertainment , eOne Films , Roadside Attractions , etc.) and The Criterion Collection through their existing distribution deals with SPHE. Warner Communications, Inc. Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia )

22496-449: Was reported that AT&T was in talks with Discovery, Inc. —which primarily operated television channels and platforms devoted to non-fiction and unscripted content—for it to merge with WarnerMedia, forming a publicly traded company that would be divided between its shareholders. The proposed spin-off and merger was officially announced the next day, which is to be structured as a Reverse Morris Trust . AT&T shareholders would receive

22648-434: Was shown only once, in May 1982, and was almost identical to the U.S. theatrical version but contained three extra scenes not shown in any other version, including the 2007 Final Cut. Two versions were shown in the film's 1982 theatrical release: the U.S. theatrical version (117 minutes), known as the original version or Domestic Cut (released on Betamax , CED Videodisc and VHS in 1983, and on LaserDisc in 1987), and

22800-535: Was to track down bioengineered humanoids known as replicants and terminally "retire" them, is informed that four replicants are on Earth illegally. Deckard begins to leave, but Bryant ambiguously threatens him and Deckard stays. The two watch a video of a blade runner named Holden administering the Voight-Kampff test, which is designed to distinguish replicants from humans based on their emotional responses to questions. The test subject, Leon , shoots Holden on

22952-605: Was unimpressed with the screenplay written by Herb's son Robert , saying, "Jaffe's screenplay was so terribly done ... Robert flew down to Santa Ana to speak with me about the project. And the first thing I said to him when he got off the plane was, 'Shall I beat you up here at the airport, or shall I beat you up back at my apartment? ' " The screenplay by Hampton Fancher was optioned in 1977. Producer Michael Deeley became interested in Fancher's draft and convinced director Ridley Scott to film it. Scott had previously declined

23104-520: Was used to finance MGM/UA's acquisition by the Pathé Communications Corporation . The intended 12½-year-long deal was cut short in February 2000, with MGM paying Warner Home Video $ 225 million to regain video rights to a number of its films. In exchange, Warner Home Video gained full control over the video rights to MGM's pre-May 1986 library, an asset the studio had acquired outright from Turner Entertainment Co. , but due to

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