Michelle Yeoh Has Been Cast in the Upcoming ‘Blade Runner 2099’ Series in Lead Role
In case you did not know, a Blade Runner series is in the works and has been shooting since April. Titled Blade Runner 2099, the series was revealed to be in the works in 2021, when Ridley Scott himself confirmed that a pilot and the series’ bible (a reference book for a series with relevant plot and character data) had been written. The series was officially announced in 2022 when the title was also revealed. Filming was set to begin in 2023 but was postponed to April 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which paralyzed the entertainment industry for a longer period of time. Now, knowing that the series is currently being filmed, we can also confirm that we have some exciting casting updates.
The Blade Runner franchise wasn’t a franchise initially. It started off as a standalone movie directed by Scott, which starred Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer in the main roles. And while it bombed at the box office, the movie became a cult classic and is considered to be one of the finest movies in history. And while Scott had plans for a sequel – which would be based on an original story, rather than the original, which was a very liberal adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – it took him decades to make Blade Runner 2049. In the meantime, an anime series and several shorts were filmed as well, and we now know that the franchise is going to continue as a television series.
The series is still a big mystery, but we received confirmation that Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh has been cast in the lead role in the series. Yeoh recently won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, but has also starred in other projects like Crazy Rich Asians, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (both movies), Memoirs Of A Geisha, the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and Sunshine. As for her television roles, people could see her in The Brothers Sun, American Born Chinese, and The Witcher: Blood Origin, and she is slated to appear in Star Trek: Discovery. Not much is known about her role, but we’re sure that it will be a great one.
As for the series, it will be distributed by Amazon Prime and Scott has teased that it would consist of 10 hour-long episodes, although this has yet to be confirmed officially. Scott is in negotiations to direct some of the episodes, while Silka Luisa will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Scott will also executive produce along with David W. Zucker and Clayton Krueger of Scott Free Productions, with Alcon Entertainment co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson also serving executive produce, as will Alcon’s president of television Ben Roberts. Tom Spezialy, Richard Sharkey, Michael Green, Cynthia Yorkin, Frank Giustra, and Isa Dick Hackett will also executive produce. Jonathan van Tulleken will direct the first two episodes and executive produce them as well. In addition to that, Steven Johnson will also serve as a co-executive producer.
And this is what we have for you at this moment. The series will definitely be a sequel, but the plot and the rest of the cast are still a big secret, so we don’t know what to expect, but knowing Scott’s work, we’re in for a real treat. Be sure to keep following us for all the updates related to the upcoming series!
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