Ridley Scott to executive produce and Silka Luisa to pen the project, a follow-up to the ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ which will stream on Prime video.
Do you dream of streaming electric sheep? Amazon Studios has picked up the newest installment of the Blade Runner franchise, Blade Runner 2099, which is set to stream on Prime Video at a yet un-announced date. Ridley Scott, director of the original, seminal Blade Runner film, will executive produce the upcoming live-action limited series, which serves as a follow-up to the sequel film Blade Runner 2049 directed by Denis Villeneuve. Back in February, it was revealed the project was had entered development at Amazon Studios.
“The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television, Amazon Studios. “We are honored to be able to present this continuation of the Blade Runner franchise, and are confident that by teaming up with Ridley, Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and the remarkably talented Silka Luisa, Blade Runner 2099 will uphold the intellect, themes, and spirit of its film predecessors.”
Blade Runner, released in 1982, is an adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,” set in LA in the far-off year 2019. In this dystopian alternate universe, synthetic humans called replicants are created by the Tyrell Corporation to work on space colonies. When a group of these replicants escape back to Earth, a “blade runner” played by Harrison Ford must hunt them down. Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos also star in the fan favorite sci-fi classic.
Blade Runner 2049, set in the year 2049, starred Ryan Gosling as the newest blade runner, who discovers a grave and insidious secret that not only affects him, but the entire city. Ford and Olmos reprised their roles in the sequel, joined by Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto. Blade Runner 2099 is set 50 years after the film sequel.
“We are delighted to continue our working relationship with our friends at Amazon,” added Alcon Entertainment co-CEOs and co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. “And we are beyond excited to continue to extend the Blade Runner canon into a new realm with the provocative storyline that Silka has created. Audiences first discovered Ridley Scott’s brilliant vision for Blade Runner 40 years ago, and since then, it has become one of the most influential science-fiction films of all time. Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up sequel, Blade Runner 2049, then became one of the best reviewed sequels of all time. So, we recognize that we have a very high bar to meet with this next installment. Together with Silka and our partners at Amazon, and Scott Free Productions, we hope that we can live up to that standard and delight audiences with the next generation of Blade Runner.”
While 2099 will be the first live-action series in the franchise, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, an anime series set in 2032, focuses on the perspective of a female replicant and debuted last year on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll.
Luisa (Shining Girls) penned the script and will executive produce under the Alcon Entertainment banner in association with Scott Free Productions and Amazon Studios. Kosove and Johnson will also executive produce with Michael Green (writer for Blade Runner 2049), Ben Roberts, Cynthia Yorkin, and Scott Free Productions’ David W. Zucker and Clayton Krueger, Frank Giustra, Tom Spezialy, and Isa Dick Hackett.
No word yet on who will handle the VFX.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
