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Credit: Warner BrosThe new female-led Blade Runner sequel is ready – sans Harrison Ford.
Blade Runner was a landmark in science fiction cinema, thanks in no small part to Harrison Ford’s performance as a “blade runner” named Rick Deckard. Directed by Ridley Scott and released in 1982, the film is set in a dystopian future where bioengineered humanoids, known as replicants, blur the lines between artificial and human life, with former cop Deckard tasked with retiring replicants who have gone “off book.”
While it may have taken 35 years, a sequel finally hit theaters in 2017. Blade Runner 2049 saw Ford reprise his role, with Ryan Gosling joining the cast as K, another “blade runner.” Acclaimed though it may have been by critics and fans, it was one of the biggest box-office bombs of the year, casting doubts on the potential of a followup.
‘Blade Runner 3’ Nears Release
Regardless, a threequel is coming – albeit in the form of a miniseries. Blade Runner 2099 will air on Amazon Prime Video later in 2025 and, like its predecessors, draws from Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”
Now, we have a big update on the sequel. Director Karena Evans shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the cast and crew celebrating a wrap on the show on Instagram, with its lead actors revealed to have finished filming.
Speaking of these lead actors, don’t expect Ford to be among the ranks popping up in Blade Runner 2099. As the name suggests, the show will take place 50 years further into the future. Ford’s Rick Deckard doesn’t play a role in the threequel’s storyline, which instead has a female-led cast.
What to Expect From ‘Blade Runner 3’
Cora (Hunter Schafer), a woman who spent her life switching identities, steps up as the lead, as does Michelle Yeoh’s Olwen, a replicant facing the end of her life.
‘BLADE RUNNER 2099’, starring Hunter Schafer and Michelle Yeoh, has wrapped filming.
Coming soon to Prime Video.
‘BLADE RUNNER 2099’, starring Hunter Schafer and Michelle Yeoh, has wrapped filming.
Coming soon to Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/gUUdDAon9o
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 29, 2024
Joining Schafer and Yeoh are actors Dimitri Abold, Lewis Gribben, Katelyn Rose Downey, and Tom Burke. The official synopsis reads as follows:
In Los Angeles 2099, Cora lived her entire life on the run, a chameleon forced to adopt numerous identities. To secure a stable future for her brother, she assumes one final identity and is forced to partner with Olwen, a Replicant who’s confronting the end of her life.
While some fans may feel disappointed by Harrison Ford’s departure from the Blade Runner franchise, it follows a familiar pattern in his recent career. Ford concluded his tenure as Indiana Jones with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), with a new actor stepping in to voice the character for the recent video game sequel “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.”
He also exited the Star Wars saga in 2015, where he portrayed Han Solo. While fans often joke he has a love-hate relationship with the character, Ford insisted to GQ in 2016 that he “never disliked the opportunity to play Solo, the character, but I just didn’t think he was very deep.”
Before production began on Blade Runner 2049, there were discussions about moving forward without Harrison Ford. Speculation about his involvement swirled in the media from the project’s early stages, though producers initially denied the claims. Ford wasn’t officially approached for the role until 2014.
Are you excited for Blade Runner 2099?