What to expect in Amazon’s Blade Runner 2099. A brief recap on what we know so far from Amazon’s upcoming series.
Amazon will be releasing an exclusive Blade Runner series that is based on the iconic science-fiction film franchise. Blade Runner’s first film was released in 1982 entailing the story of Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford), a former police turned special agent on a mission to stop threatening androids. The first movie is then followed up by its sequel ‘Blade Runner 2049’ which was released in 2017. Now, with the title of ‘Blade Runner 2099’, the show will be in the same universe as its predecessors but years after the most recent movie. Fans won’t be seeing the usual familiar faces and instead will meet new characters who are taking the lead.
The initial Blade Runner film is based on the 1968 novel, ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ by Philip K. Dick. A book exploring a human’s journey in realizing one’s loss of humanity in a world of unempathetic androids. Similarly, the series will tell the stories of Replicants, a breed of androids residing on Earth. Throughout the series, they will explore the dynamics and connections between these Replicants, their creators as well as other living beings who are residing among them.
Unlike the films that focus solely on the life of one character, the series will explore more on the society of the Blade Runner universe. This will be an angle that’s sure to excite fans because despite the massive popularity of the franchise, works from the universe have never explored its world-building and surroundings in an up-close and thorough way. The multiple-episode format will allow writers to go into detail about various characters, their motivations, and social commentary that was originally a big part of the initial book. The series however will focus on discussing the ethical and moral consequences that come with having androids living amongst humans as equals.
Blade Runner is also known for their stunning visuals and a maverick for the cyberpunk futurist aesthetic in films, and this is another thing to look forward to in the series with its rumoured high budget. It has also been confirmed that the legendary Ridley Scott, director of the first ‘Blade Runner’ will be an executive producer of the show, while Michael Green, writer of ‘American Gods’ and ‘Heroes’, will be penning the series.