Blade Runner is heading back to the rain-soaked streets of Los Angeles. Prime Video has unveiled the first trailer for Blade Runner 2099, the franchise's first live-action TV series, ahead of its November 25 premiere. The footage, which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, is heavy on atmosphere and light on plot, which should suit fans of Ridley Scott's cult universe.
Set 50 years after Blade Runner 2049, the series pushes the timeline further than the franchise has ever gone. The trailer hints that replicants have become the dominant force in society, with humans now a minority, and it references a war that took place in the decades since the last film.
Michelle Yeoh plays Olwen, a veteran blade runner and replicant who is days from dying. Hunter Schafer plays Cora, a fugitive who takes on the identity of a blade runner and is forced to partner with her. Together they hunt a runaway hiding a truth that could collapse the city's fragile order.
Behind the camera, Silka Luisa is the showrunner, with Ridley Scott on board as executive producer. Jonathan van Tulleken directed the first two episodes. According to reports, the show was largely shot at Prague's Barrandov Studios, with additional filming in Barcelona. The cast also includes Dimitri Abold and Lewis Gribben, with Sheila Atim, Tom Burke and Matthew Needham among the recurring guests.
Early reaction has been mixed. Some viewers praised the trailer's restrained tone and cyberpunk visuals, while others felt it leans on familiar imagery without offering much that is new. According to reports, all eight episodes will arrive together, which should make for easy binge viewing.
Whether or not it lives up to its predecessors, fans will find out on November 25.
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