Wow....just wow
Yes. the second film continues from the first. The passage of time makes no difference. Hollywood, rather than make something new dig into past films and make sequels. I'm not talking about re-makes but sequels where the next film in the series gets progressively worse and mangles the story. Films used to be stand alone works of art, complete in themselves. Now films are made with sequels in mind.
If this new Blade Runner is any good, (or rakes in a lot of cash) they'll make a 3rd and even a 4th. Every series starts with the first one.