Blade Runner 2099 is official. Amazon has now confirmed that a live-action, limited-run series set in the Blade Runner universe is on the way.
After a long drought of details, we now have a few juicy ones. As you might expect, Blade Runner 2099 is set 50 years after Blade Runner 2049. Ridley Scott, director of the original 1982 film, returns as an executive producer. And Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh has been confirmed as the lead.
Naturally, fans of the cult classic are anxious. There’s concern over what Amazon might do with such a beloved property – especially in a world where every iconic franchise, from Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, seems to be getting spun out forever (we hear you).
But the neon-drenched, rain-soaked world Scott and Denis Villeneuve created is brimming with potential. Done right, a new series could recapture the dark sci-fi noir magic of the films, all moody cityscapes, existential dread, and unforgettable soundtracks. Or maybe it’s time to do something bold and new, exploring corners of this imagined future we’ve never seen before.
So hop in. We’re heading to Los Angeles in 2099. In this guide, we’ll cover everything we know about Blade Runner 2099 so far, including the cast and crew involved, what to expect from the story, when it might arrive and our top predictions about where the Blade Runner franchise could go next as an Amazon Prime series.
Blade Runner 2099: release date predictions
Back in late 2021, Ridley Scott revealed that a pilot episode and full series bible for a Blade Runner TV series had already been written. By February 2022, Variety reported the show was officially in development at Amazon. By September that year, Amazon confirmed it had greenlit the project.
Filming then began in May 2024 and, according to reports, wrapped in December 2024. There’s no confirmed release date yet, but current expectations point to a late 2025 premiere.
Blade Runner 2099: cast and crew
Ridley Scott, the visionary behind the original Blade Runner, returns as executive producer for the Blade Runner 2099 series via his company, Scott Free Productions. He’ll hopefully be a reassuring presence for any fans who are wary of handing the franchise over to new hands.
Silka Luisa is the showrunner and executive producer. She previously held the same role on Apple TV+’s Shining Girls, and also worked as a writer and producer on Paramount+’s fact-based occult drama Strange Angel. She’s also linked to the Halo TV adaptation, giving her solid experience in handling bold genre storytelling.
On the casting front, the biggest news so far is that Michelle Yeoh is set to star as the lead. Yeoh has already proved her sci-fi chops in Everything Everywhere All At Once and Star Trek: Discovery. According to Variety, she’ll play a replicant named Olwen whose life is nearing its end – though much about her role is still being kept under wraps.
Another major casting reveal is that Euphoria star Hunter Schafer has joined the series. Them reports she’ll play a character named Cora, a woman who has lived her whole life on the run, adopting multiple identities. Meanwhile, World of Reel shared a rumor from industry insider Daniel Richtman suggesting Cora and Olwen may team up to uncover a vast conspiracy. Either way, it sounds like Schafer’s character will be a central force in the story too.
The supporting cast is packed with talent too. We’ll see Dimitri Abold, Lewis Gribben, Katelyn Rose Downey, Daniel Rigby, Tom Burke, Maurizio Lombardi, Johnny Harris, Amy Lennox, Sheila Atim, and Matthew Needham. That’s a solid mix of rising stars and seasoned character actors.
As for returning legacy cast members, one Giant Freakin' Robot report claims that Harrison Ford is “in talks” to reprise his role as Rick Deckard. While that’s exciting, this feels increasingly unlikely. Don’t hold your breath.
On the directing front, Game of Thrones veteran Jeremy Podeswa was originally attached to direct the Blade Runner 2099 pilot but left due to scheduling conflicts. So Jonathan Van Tulleken has since stepped in to direct the first two episodes. He’s known for directing the award-winning series Shōgun, Hulu’s Reprisal and Apple TV+’s The Changeling.
Behind the scenes, executive producers also include Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, the co-founders of Alcon Entertainment (the team behind Blade Runner: Black Lotus), and Michael Green, who co-wrote Blade Runner 2049.
Other key creatives include cinematographers Rob Hardy and Ula Pontikos, and editor Fiona Colbeck.
Blade Runner 2099: plot
With Ridley Scott confirming that 10 episodes have been written, Blade Runner 2099 is shaping up to be a limited 10-episode series, at least for its first season. This aligns with The Hollywood Reporter’s suggestion that the story will unfold across 8 to 10 hour long episodes.
According to a report from World of Reel, insider Daniel Richtman has revealed early plot details. Set in Los Angeles in the year 2099, the story follows Cora, a woman who has spent her entire life on the run, constantly changing identities. In a final bid to secure a better future for her brother, she adopts one last persona and is forced to partner with Olwen – a Blade Runner nearing the end of her life. The pair are drawn into a growing conspiracy that threatens the fragile future of a city struggling to rebuild itself.
The show was originally scheduled to film in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but production was moved to Prague, Czech Republic, due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
Executive producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson have promised a bold continuation of the Blade Runner universe, telling Variety they are “beyond excited to continue to extend the Blade Runner canon into a new realm with the provocative storyline that Silka has created.”
Since the series is set 50 years after Blade Runner 2049, spoilers follow for both previous films.
At its core, Blade Runner has always asked one fundamental question: what does it mean to be human? And, lingering in the background, is Rick Deckard a replicant? Ridley Scott has said yes in interviews but it’s never been confirmed as canon.
While fans would love a definitive answer, maybe it’s time to move on from the “are they or aren’t they?” mystery that defined both previous films, as well as many other sci-fi stories, from Battlestar Galactica to Westworld.
The biggest revelation in Blade Runner 2049 was that replicants can now reproduce. That twist reframed everything, and opens the door for Blade Runner 2099 to explore what happens when artificial beings can create life of their own. What does that mean for identity, power, and the future of both humans and replicants?
Great sci-fi reflects the present as much as it imagines the future. That’s why we’re expecting Blade Runner 2099 to lean into timely issues, like inequality, bodily autonomy, surveillance, environmental collapse, and the slow creep of authoritarianism.
It might also look inward. Now that replicants have become their own species, how do they treat each other? Will there be class divides within replicant society? Could this be a story of us vs. us vs. them?
Fans know all too well that a Blade Runner story lives and dies by its atmosphere and the score is half of the magic. While no composer has been announced yet, expectations are high. From Vangelis’ synth-soaked melancholia to Hans Zimmer’s thunderous, brooding hums, this is a legacy built on sonic worldbuilding. Whoever takes the reins, they’ve got big boots to fill.
Blade Runner 2099: What to watch before
We don’t know how closely Blade Runner 2099 will link to the previous two Blade Runner films yet. However, given the title and the fact it’s set 50 years after Blade Runner 2049, it’s safe to assume this will be a new story that revisits familiar themes – and may even include some returning characters or plot threads.
For that reason, we highly recommend watching both Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 before the new series lands on Prime Video. Luckily, you’ve got time to watch them at least once – if not twice – before then.
If you want to dive deeper into the universe, there’s also Blade Runner: Black Lotus, an animated series set in 2032.
There are also three short films that serve as prequels to Blade Runner 2049 – Black Out 2022, 2036: Nexus Dawn, and 2048: Nowhere to Run. As far as we can tell, they’re all canon, but they’re not essential viewing in the same way the two feature films are.
The original 1982 movie was loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? If you’re curious about the source material, it’s well worth a read. Just don’t expect a scene-by-scene match. Yes, the major themes are intact, but many details were changed for the screen (including the term “Blade Runner,” which doesn’t appear in the book).
