Amazon to produce Blade Runner 2099 TV series

The next act for the Blade Runner franchise will apparently be Amazon's live-action series Blade Runner 2099, with original director Ridley Scott set to return as an executive producer on the project, Variety reports.

Blade Runner 2099 will be set 50 years after the 2017 sequel Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, and will be written and executive produced by Silka Luisa (showrunner of Apple TV Plus's Shining Girls). Original director Ridley Scott may also direct the series.

Scott previously hinted at the project in a November interview with the BBC — the first public mention of the series — mentioning that the reality show was being developed as a 10-episode series, with a pilot and an outline script already written. Blade Runner 2099 also won't be the first spinoff from the iconic sci-fi series; Adult Swim launched the animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus late last year, further expanding the world of Blade Runner.

The original Blade Runner was released in 1982 and has since gone down in history as one of the most popular science fiction films of all time. 35 years in the making, its sequel, Blade Runner 2049, was released in 2017 to critical and commercial success.

Amazon is reportedly home to a live-action Blade Runner, illustrating the massive company’s streaming ambitions as it continues to try to build out its library of episodic content that appeals to its audience. Amazon Studios has invested heavily in genre television in recent years, with the company picking up The Expanse after its initial cancellation, as well as shows like The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power. The latter, with a reported budget of $465 million, looks to be the most expensive TV series ever made.