Prime Video is moving full steam ahead with their upcoming Blade Runner 2099 live-action series, which will act as the de facto sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2017 sci-fi epic.
The project was put on ice last May in the wake of the WGA strike, and the decision was made a few months later to move on from the planned Belfast shoot, and could not set up shop in Prague, where the rights holder is currently set. Right before the labor stoppage, James Podeswa had been tapped to direct the first couple of episodes, while there were also rumblings of Jodie Comer being eyed to star. Comer later exited, per those reports, and no other actress has circled the project since.
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We learned this week that Podeswa is also out, with Shōgun‘s Jonathan Van Tulleken stepping in as director and executive producer on those first two episodes. Filming is set to begin in April in the Czech Republic, which is certainly interesting given we’ve heard of no actors attached to the package. This is a little reminiscent of Hulu’s Alien series by Noah Hawley, a project in which the main actors started to get announced by the press after production had started. That being said, it’s possible we could get one or two of the main actors reported before April.
The focus now goes back to Comer. At the time it was speculated that perhaps she’d exited due to scheduling issues with Marvel’s Fantastic Four, as the actress was rumored to be one of the top contenders for that part. We now know she will not be playing Sue Storm, but was there any truth to that guess, or was it because there was another project she was supposed to shoot? The strikes changed a lot of things, so maybe she can revisit the project now.
Who Is Behind Prime Video’s Blade Runner 2099?
Silka Luisa is the writer, showrunner, and executive producer. Tom Spezialy was a part of the writers’ room and also an executive producer on the series. Ridley Scott, who directed the 1982 original and was an executive producer on the 2017 follow-up, is returning as an EP on the series via Scott Free. David W. Zucker and Clayton Krueger are also executive producers via Scott Free.
The rights belong to Alcon Entertainment since 2011, and its co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, along with its head of TV, Ben Roberts, are executive producers as well. Michael Green, who wrote the 2017 feature starring Ryan Gosling, serves as a non-writing EP as well.
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Of course, the big name missing is Denis Villeneuve, which is certainly interesting. Amazon certainly must have gone to him early in the development process, so assuming he passed, it’s a major miss for them and a bit of a lack of endorsement — Villeneuve’s 2017 film is certainly one of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st century. He is now a few days away from delivering Dune: Part Two, which has the studio over the moon about what they have. Speculation is running wild on his next project, which is reportedly one of three choices: Cleopatra, Dune: Messiah, and Rendezvous With Rama.
No release date has been set for Blade Runner 2099, but with an April 2024 shoot in place we could potentially see it on Prime Video in 2025. What do you think about the news? Had you forgotten the project was even happening? Who is your pick to star in the film? Let us know your thoughts and follow us Twitter or on our Discord server. We’re always watching.
Source: Deadline
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