The upcoming showBlade Runner 2099is taking the approach to the world of replicants that Denis Villeneuve’sBlade Runner 2049should have. Though there isn’t muchinformation aboutBlade Runner 2099yet, what is publicly known about the Amazon Prime Video show is extremely promising.Michelle Yeoh landed the lead role inBlade Runner 2099, and Hunter Schafer was also cast in a currently unnamed role. Yeoh’s character, Olwen, in particular, seems to hint that the story ofBlade Runner 2099will be intriguing as well, as Olwen has been described as a replicant at the end of her lifespan.
Aside from the fact that it’s a show instead of a movie, there are a few waysBlade Runner2099already seems very different fromBlade Runner 2049. Ridley Scott, the director of the originalBlade Runner, and his production company, Scott Free, are helping to produce2099. Denis Villeneuve doesn’t seem to be involved at this time, despite directing2049. Aside from the stylistic differences between the creators, there’s one big change forBlade Runner 2099that will set it apart from the movies, and it could be just what the franchise needs.
How To Watch The Blade Runner Movies & TV Shows In Order
The Blade Runner franchise is a staple of sci-fi in Hollywood, and there are a couple ways that these famous films and series can be watched.
Blade Runner 2099 Is Likely Moving Away From Harrison Ford’s Deckard
Blade Runner 2099, as the title implies, takes place 50 years after2049. Just by nature of its place in theBlade Runnertimeline,2099will likely move away from focusing on Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard. In 2049, Deckard was already an old man, and there’s likely no way he would still be alive 50 years later.WhileBlade Runner 2099could easily have many of the franchise’s trappings, like the Wallace Corporation, replicants, and different Blade Runners, it seems Deckard won’t be a major facet of the show. Leaving Deckard in the past could also solve a problem withBlade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner
Cast
The original Blade Runner is a sci-fi neo-noir film set in 2019 in a dystopian cyber-punk society. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard as a Blade Runner for the LAPD, tasked with hunting rogue replicants, genetically engineered humans designed to tackle tasks that human beings cannot. When four replicants go rogue and begin killing humans, Deckard is forced out of retirement to hunt them down and stop them - but the truth isn’t as simple as it seems. Deckard will have to reckon with the philosophical dilemma of what makes someone human.
Blade Runner 2049 Felt Too Much Like An Epilogue To Deckard’s Story
Deckard was a very prominent character inBlade Runner 2049, and that was one of the film’s few mistakes. The story of Deckard reuniting with his child was very compelling, andBlade Runner 2049is still a fantastic sci-fi movie, but it felt a bit too much like an epilogue to the originalBlade Runner.The biggest problem with Deckard’s role inBlade Runner 2049, however, is that it just didn’t live up to the franchise’s potential. There are so many stories that could be explored in the world ofBlade Runner, and focusing on Deckard through the years limits how encompassing the franchise can be.
The story of Deckard reuniting with his child was very compelling, andBlade Runner 2049is still a fantastic sci-fi movie, but it felt a bit too much like an epilogue to the originalBlade Runner.
K’s story, of a replicant forced to hunt down other replicants, could have been a tremendous way to explore the massive world ofBlade Runner.WhileBlade Runner 2049definitely did add quite a bit to the franchise’s overarching story, focusing on Deckard kept the movie from really exploring all the franchise has to offer. There are plenty of fascinating thingsBlade Runnerintroduced that deserve a chance to be explored, from replicants to colonizing other planets and more, yet keeping the focus on Deckard prevents stories from exploring them. Luckily,Blade Runner 2099presents the perfect solution.
A Blade Runner TV Show Is Exactly What The Franchise Needs
TheBlade Runnerfranchise has dipped its toes into quite a few mediums in the past: there are two video games, an animated show, three comic books, and three short films that tie into the world ofBlade Runner, in addition to the movies.They’ve already done a tremendous job of fleshing out the world, butBlade Runner 2099has a chance to bring that world-building to a much wider audience. As a live-action show with a star-studded cast that will be available on Prime Video,2099is by far the biggestBlade Runnerstory since2049.
Blade Runner 2049
Set thirty years after the original film, Blade Runner 2049 is a sci-fi neo-noir film by the director of Dune, Denis Villeneuve. The film follows LAPD replicant officer K, who discovers a devastating secret that could throw society into total chaos. To stop a potential war between replicants and humans, he’ll need to locate missing former blade runner Rick Deckard and uncover the truth.
Along with its wider reach,Blade Runner 2099is primed to do something none of the other films or tie-ins have accomplished so far: tell a story completely away from Rick Deckard.All the games, shows, and comics so far have helped fill in the time before and betweenBlade Runnerand2049, both of which are essentially Deckard’s story.Blade Runner 2099will likely still include references to Deckard, or at least his child, Ana. Even with those references and the lingering effects of his actions, though,Blade Runner 2099is moving well past Deckard’s influence.
Upcoming Blade Runner Show Can Finally Fix The Biggest Problem With The First 2 Movies
Blade Runner set up an expansive and rich world that failed to be fully realized in the movies, but the upcoming TV show could change all that.
Moving away from Deckard is exactly what theBlade Runnerfranchise needs to become a more enduring staple of the sci-fi genre.Blade Runner 2099has a chance to show just how much there is to the world ofBlade Runner, and that it can be as expansive of a sci-fi franchise asStar WarsorStar Trek. Its serial format will also allow it to really spread out and intimately examine its subject in a way none of the films have been able to. Really,Blade Runner 2099is doing whatBlade Runner 2049should have done in the first place.
Blade Runner 2099
Blade Runner 2099 is a television series created for Prime Video and takes place fifty years after 2017’s Blade Runner 2049. Ridley Scott and Silka Luisa are executive producers of the series, with current plot details still under wraps.
