James R | On 11, Feb 2022

Blade Runner is heading to the small screen for a second time, with a new live-action series in the works at Amazon Studios.

Philip K Dick’s story of replicants and those seeking to “retire” them was a sci-fi classic on the page before it became an iconic film in its own right too, thanks to Ridley Scott’s 1982 Blade Runner – a film that was followed in 2017 by Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, which saw Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos reprise their roles from the original, joined by Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista and Jared Leto.

Last year, the Blade Runner universe expanded with the debut of anime series Black Lotus on All 4, set in 2032 and centring on a female replicant voiced by Jessica Henwick. Now, the world is growing once more with will be the first live-action Blade Runner show. The sequel will be set 50 years after Blade Runner 2049 and comes with Ridley Scott’s blessing, as he’s on board as exec-producer.

Silka Luisa, showrunner of Apple TV+ series Shining Girls, is writing and exec-producing, with Amazon Studios putting the project in its fast-track priority development pipeline. Deadline reports that Scott could direct the project if it moves forward.

The series is the latest extension in a franchise that has seen renewed momentum since Alcon Entertainment acquired the rights to the sci-fi classic back in 2011. Alcon is no stranger to Amazon Studios, having also produced The Expanse, which became an Amazon original after the online giant rescued it from cancellation. The project will also be produced by Scott’s Scott Free Productions, which has a range of TV shows under its belt, including HBO Max’s Raised by Wolves, Paramount+ drama The Good Fight and Netflix’s Jigsaw.

Michael Green, who wrote Blade Runner 2049, will exec-produce the series, along with Alcon co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, plus Ben Roberts and Cynthia Yorkin and – for Scott Free – David W Zucker and Clayton Krueger.

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