With his acclaimed 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, prolific science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick introduced a bleak, thought-provoking, and alarmingly plausible vision of the future that was brought to the big screen 14 years later in the film, Blade Runner, and again in 2017’s Blade Runner 2049. With the advancement and subsequent rising influence of artificial intelligence, the original story’s concepts only continue to grow in relevancy, which is why now seems like an especially appropriate time for this universe to expand with the latest installment of the franchise, Blade Runner 2099.
Instead of another cinematic entry, this new extension to the tale set in a dystopian world in which humans and artificial “Replicants” are nearly impossible to tell apart is going to be a limited series coming to Amazon Prime. So, when can we expect the show to premiere, what new characters and concepts will it bring to the table this time, and might Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard or Ryan Gosling’s K make an appearance? Let’s focus on what we can tell you about Blade Runner 2099 at the moment.
What Is The Blade Runner 2099 Premiere Date?
Unfortunately, one thing about Blade Runner 2099 that we cannot tell you at the moment is when you can watch it. The series, currently, has no set premiere date, but at least we do know that it will be available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription upon release.
The Series Is Set After The Events Of Blade Runner 2049
Details regarding the plot of the live-action Blade Runner 2099 TV show are also quite scarce. However, one thing that has been revealed — which we're also able to guess pretty easily from the title — is that the story is a continuation of Blade Runner 2049 and takes place 50 years later. The 2017 thriller was a direct sequel to 1982’s Blade Runner and brought Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard — a cop who specializes in identifying and “retiring” artificial beings known as Replicants — together with Ryan Gosling’s K, who is a Replicant Blade Runner who searches for the long-missing Deckard after making a shocking discovery.
Considering the gap of time between Blade Runner 2049 and Blade Runner 2099 and what supposedly happens to K at the end of the film (without giving too much away), it seems unlikely that we will be seeing either of the Academy Award nominees reprising their roles. However, what is likely is that Deckard and K’s relevance to the story may be of great importance to the plot of the upcoming series. Maybe the show could finally put the debate over whether or not Deckard is a Replicant to bed, even if not knowing for sure is part of the story’s appeal.
Silka Luisa Is The Showrunner
The lead executive producer for Blade Runner 2099 is Silka Luisa, who previously served as the showrunner for the Apple TV+ original mystery series, Shining Girls, which she also created. She was also a writer and producer for Paramount+’s fact-based occult drama, Strange Angel, and was a supervising producer for the first season of the platform’s series adaptation of Halo. So, it looks like she already knows a few things about high-concept, dystopian drama.
In addition to also executive producing Blade Runner 2099, Jonathan van Tulleken has signed on to direct the first two episodes, after just completing the same task for FX’s Shogun (per Deadline). The two-time BAFTA nominee is also known for helming five episodes of Hulu’s revenge thriller, Reprisal, and four chapters of Apple TV+’s 2023 horror series, The Changeling. Van Tulleken assumes the reins from Emmy nominee Jeremy Podeswa, who had to step down from helming 2099 amid scheduling conflicts.
Ridley Scott Is Producing
No installment to this franchise would truly be complete without some involvement by the man who first brought Philip K. Dick’s vision to the big screen as the director of the 1982 classic. Thankfully, Ridley Scott is signed on as an executive producer on Blade Runner 2099. In fact, his involvement was known when it was announced that Amazon Studios was giving the series the greenlight in 2022.
Blade Runner was the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker’s third feature, following 1977’s Napoleonic War-era drama The Duellists and another cinematic sci-fi classic: the 1979 first installment of the Alien movies franchise. While directorial duties were passed on to Denis Villeneuve for Blade Runner 2049, Scott would also return as an executive producer for the sequel. He would, however, return to direct a sequel to the upcoming 2024 movie, Gladiator 2 — a sequel to his Best Picture Oscar winner from 2000.
Blade Runner 2099 Starts Filming April 2024
Even though the premiere date for Blade Runner 2099 remains unknown, the wait for that announcement should not last too much longer. The series is set to begin shooting in April in Prague.
The original plan was to film in Belfast, Ireland. However, after the writers strike caused a delay in production, the location was moved to the Czech Republic, which also serves as the backdrop for other acclaimed sci-fi TV shows like Apple TV+’s Foundation.
How Many Episodes Are There In Blade Runner 2099?
The number of episodes that Blade Runner 2049 will consist of has not been officially announced yet. An early report on the series’ development from 2022 by The Hollywood Reporter suggests that that the season could be told in 8-10 hour-long chapters.
How To Watch The Blade Runner Franchise So Far
Luckily, it looks like curious audiences will have plenty of time to catch up on the story so far before they try out Blade Runner 2099 when it premieres. Of course, they will want to start with the 1982 original — widely considered one of the all-time greatest sci-fi movies — but even that can be tricky, as there are numerous, drastically different edits of the film available. The safest bet is to go with 2001’s Blade Runner: The Final Cut, which is personally endorsed by Scott.
The next step is to watch Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, which some fans argue surpasses the original with its ingenious exploration of the story’s already profound subject matter and stunning, Academy Award-winning cinematography by the legendary Roger Deakins. However, if you wanted to go in chronological order, you should watch the franchise’s first series installment, the anime-style Blade Runner: Block Lotus, which aired on Adult Swim in 2021 and is now available exclusively on Crunchyroll.
- Rent or buy Blade Runner on Amazon.
- Buy Blade Runner on Blu-ray on Amazon.
- Rent or buy Blade Runner 2049 on Amazon.
- Buy Blade Runner 2049 on Blu-ray on Amazon.
- Stream Blade Runner: Black Lotus on Crunchyroll.
With a new series on the way, it is wonderful to know that the Blade Runner franchise will continue and avoid being lost in time, like tears in rain.
