Amazon's Blade Runner 2099 Series Just Took A Major Step Forward
Back in February, Amazon announced its plans to continue the "Blade Runner" franchise with a live-action limited series set 50 years after "Blade Runner 2049." Aptly titled "Blade Runner 2099," the series was by no means a sure thing, but now fans have reason to start getting excited about the show.
Not only is "Blade Runner 2099" one step closer to hitting our TV screens, but it's also got some impressive creative personnel behind it. Ridley Scott, the filmmaker behind the original "Blade Runner," will shepherd the project in an executive producer capacity, and the show will be run by Silka Luisa, hot off of "Shining Girls" on Apple TV+.
Fans looking forward to the next installment in the "Blade Runner" saga don't have much to go on in terms of plot details or even a release date at this early stage. But they can begin to look forward to the cyberpunk franchise making its way to live-action TV for the first time ever.
Blade Runner 2099 will come to Amazon Prime Video sometime in the near future
The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Amazon Prime Video has officially greenlit "Blade Runner 2099" as a limited series, bringing on board executive producer Ridley Scott and showrunner Silka Luisa. Amazon Studios head of global television Vernon Sanders promises that "'Blade Runner 2099' will uphold the intellect, themes, and spirit of its film predecessors," namely, "Blade Runner" and "Blade Runner 2049."
As to what else "Blade Runner 2099" might have in store, fans will just have to wait because details on the plot and characters remain locked up for now. The press statements also don't mention any of the animated "Blade Runner" projects that have come out since "Blade Runner 2049," most notably the Adult Swim CGI anime "Blade Runner: Black Lotus," which hit the programming block in November of 2021. So we don't know whether it or any of the "2049" tie-in short films will remain canon to the upcoming TV version or not.
One thing that's for sure: a "Blade Runner" live-action TV show won't be cheap to produce. So it appears that Amazon isn't finished spending almost unbelievable amounts of money on streaming series following their high-profile Tolkien show "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." Stay tuned.