Blade Runner 2099 reveals its first images and new characters
The Prime Video series, supervised by Ridley Scott, will take place in a world where the Replicants have finally taken power over humans.
Five years after its announcement, Blade Runner 2099 is finally revealed.
Entertainment Weekly has published the first exclusive images of the Prime Video series, accompanied by a long interview with its showrunner Silka Luisa, which promises a real evolution of the universe imagined by Ridley Scott.
To develop this sequel set fifty years after Blade Runner 2049, Luisa was able to count on two choice mentors: Michael Green, screenwriter of the film by Denis Villeneuve, and Ridley Scott himself, both executive producers.
“Michael knew this universe by heart. He knew where the traps were, what its strengths were and how to build this type of dark mystery specific to Blade Runner,” she explains. As for Ridley Scott, his involvement was decisive: “It was very important that he participated in the development. We touch on founding elements of his film, visually as well as in the story. It was essential to have his blessing, but also to understand what his intentions were at the time.”
The series will take place in a radically transformed Los Angeles. Between 2049 and 2099, a Replicant revolt broke out… and the humans lost.
“The war has taken place. Our worst fears have come true,” summarizes Silka Luisa. “The Replicants are now the real power holders in the city. Humans have become second-class citizens.”
The plot will follow two new characters. Michelle Yeoh plays Olwen, a Blade Runner… who is herself a Replicant. At the end of her life, she tracks down a group of dissident Replicants. “His story sort of repeats that of Roy Batty in the first film, but this time told from the point of view of the Replicant,” explains the showrunner.
Alongside him, Hunter Schafer plays Cora, a human who spent her life fleeing the Blade Runners before having to pass as one of them. “By simply trying to survive, she lost her humanity. The whole series asks this question: can we regain our humanity once we have lost it?” continues Luisa.
On the other hand, if you were hoping to meet Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) or K (Ryan Gosling) on screen again, you will be disappointed: “We are set so far in the future that none of the characters from the films are there…” confirms Silka Luisa.
Faithful to the spirit of Blade Runner and the novel by Philip K. Dick, the series is not only inspired by the two Blade Runner films, but also by the original novel: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is also where the heart of its message lies: “The series truly imagines what will come after us and questions what it means to be human in a world where humanity no longer really matters. Philip K. Dick’s novel has a very particular tone. There is a form of madness, of almost absurd fantasy, while tackling extremely dark themes and situations. It is precisely this juxtaposition between an almost light, almost ‘bubblegum’ tone, and very dark ideas which deeply attracted me…”
Blade Runner 2099 will be available soon on Prime Video.
