When it was released in 1982, Ridley Scott’sBlade Runnerconsiderably impacted popular culture.Blade Runnerhelped bring cyberpunk and techno-noir to a larger audience and became one of the most revered sci-fi films of the 1980s. A sequel to Scott’s film,Blade Runner 2049, directed by Dennis Villeneuve, was released in 2017 to widespread acclaim and featured Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard.
The enduring legacy ofBlade Runneras a franchise is still going strong with the upcoming release ofBlade Runner 2099. The series, which recently concluded production and is set to air on Prime Video, has been eagerly awaited since it was announced in 2022. Here’s what we know so far aboutBlade Runner 2099.
Blade Runner
Who’s Involved with ‘Blade Runner 2099’?
All entries in theBlade Runnerfranchise are adapted fromDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, a novel written by science fiction author Phillip K. Dick.Blade Runner 2099has a remarkable team attached to it, both in front of and behind the camera.Directing duties have been assigned to Jonathan van Tulleken, who previously worked on the recentShogunseries andDope Thief.
Ridley Scott is serving in an executive producer capacityonBlade Runner 2099, and additional work is being done by his production company, Scott Free. Dennis Villeneuve, who directed theprevious installment in the franchise,Blade Runner: 2049, has been occupied with hisDuneadaptations.Silka Luisa, whose credits includeShining GirlsandHalo, has taken charge of many duties onBlade Runner 2099, serving as writer and creator.
The cast attached toBlade Runner 2099is an eclectic group of actors who are already well-known. The lead role inBlade Runner 2099will be portrayed byMichelle Yeoh, best known forEverything, Everywhere, All at Once. Yeoh will star in all six episodes ofBlade Runner 2099alongsideLewis GribbenandHunter Schafer. Additional actors who will be appearing includeTom Burke, Dimitri Arnold, Katelyn Rose Downey, and Daniel Rigby.
There’s a lot of excitement on set among the cast members, as Tom Burke attested to in a recentinterview with Variety:
“Blade Runner: 2099 is much closer to the aesthetic of the first movie than the second movie, that somewhat kind of Baroque, eclectic mix of cultures and time periods. … It’s a lot to do with that thing quite intrinsic to the source material in the movie, which is actually what makes somebody human and what makes somebody not human. Or when does somebody cross some threshold? Can we really have a full sense of humanity without being very aware of our own dual sides? We all have the capacity for great evil as well as great good. I suppose every genre does that to some extent, but I do feel that the morality, that whole kind of thing is handled so well in the Blade Runner world.”
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Blade Runner 2099 resumes production and offers exciting new updates.
What Can We Expect to Happen in ‘Blade Runner: 2099’?
Based on Burke’s comments, we can assume thatBlade Runner 2099will have an aesthetic and presentation closely related to Ridley Scott’s original film. However, at the time of this publication, details are limited regarding the premise ofBlade Runner 2099. What we do know is that the series will be set in Los Angeles and take place 50 yearsafter the events inBlade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner 2099will follow Cora (Hunter Schafer), a fugitive whose flight from justice has forced her to undertake multiple personalities, similar to a chameleon.Cora’s life on the run and a desire to secure a sustainable future for her brother forge an unlikely partnership with a replicant named Olwen (Michelle Yeoh), who’s facing the end of their existence. The forced partnership of two unlikely individuals has graced multiple noir and thriller films, going back toThe 39 Stepsby Alfred Hitchcock. Adapting this narrative to the Cyberpunk world that theBlade Runneruniverse takes place in has the potential to be a thrilling entry. The roles the rest of the cast will portray have yet to be revealed.
‘Blade Runner 2099’ Star Says the New Sequel Is “Much Closer” to Ridley Scott’s Classic Than ‘2049’
‘Blade Runner’ fans should get ready to be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Where Can I Watch the Other Entries in the ‘Blade Runner’ Universe?
Ridley Scott’sBlade Runneris currently available on Apple TV and YouTube Premium. For those interested in revisiting Dennis Villeneuve’s sequel,Blade Runner 2049, it’s currently streaming on Prime Video. Prime Video will also be the service carryingBlade Runner 2099when it debuts.
