The San Diego Comic-Con kicked off today, and no, I’m not there this year. But if I were, I’d definitely be hitting up the Blade Runner 2099 panel for Prime Video’s upcoming series starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer. A first look has dropped at the show, set in a future where replicants rule.
As you probably guessed, Blade Runner 2099 acts as a sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, set fifty years after those events and a replicant uprising. Ridley Scott, director of the 1982 classic, is on board as exec-producer.
Yeoh plays Olwen, a replicant nearing the end of its lifespan and tasked with tracking down a group of rogue replicants. Schafer plays Cora, a human fugitive who must now act as a replicant, joining Olwen’s hunt.
Creator and showrunner Silka Luisa told EW…
“There’s been a replicant uprising that feels like it’s been bubbling up. So the war has happened, and the humans have lost. Our worst fears imagined.”
“The replicants are now the power brokers of the city,” she added. “And humans are the second-class citizens.”
Also on board the film is Blade Runner 2049 writer Michael Green, as both an exec-producer and a consultant with Luisa.
While the previous films are crucial to the lore, don’t expect to see Harrison Ford’s Deckard or other familiar characters.
This looks very promising. Prime Video is taking some big swings to hold on to subscribers. While they haven’t all worked out (looking at you, The Wheel of Time!), The Rings of Power has been solid and Blade Runner 2099 has potential. It should premiere later this year and runs for ten episodes.
