Between The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon has made a big bet on fantasy. Now, Prime Video is placing a large wager on science fiction as well. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Prime Video has officially ordered Blade Runner 2099, a sequel series to the franchise launched 40 years ago by director Ridley Scott.
Scott helmed the original Blade Runner in 1982, which was loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Harrison Ford starred as Rick Deckard, a “Blade Runner” who was hired to track down six renegade Replicants, human-like androids who displayed far more humanity than Deckard himself. Ford returned to the role in 2017 for director Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, which focused on Ryan Gosling’s replicant Blade Runner, K.
As the title indicates, Blade Runner 2099 will take place 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049. Given Deckard’s age and the fate of K within the film, neither seem likely to return for the sequel series. Further story details are currently unknown, but Scott will executive produce the show through his studio, Scott Free Productions, in association with Alcon Entertainment.
Blade Runner 2049 writer Michael Green will executive produce the series alongside Scott, but Green will not have a writing role on the show. Instead, Shining Girls showrunner Silka Luisa will have the same role on Blade Runner 2099. Her previous credits include the Paramount+ series Halo and Strange Angel.
For now, Blade Runner 2099 doesn’t have a release window on Prime Video. Given the long lead time needed for a project like this, it may not debut until 2024 or 2025.
