One of the most influential franchises in science fiction is returning to the screen this month. Blade Runner 2099, an eight-episode limited series starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer, is set to debut on Prime Video on November 25, returning to the dystopian world first introduced in Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner.

The new series is set 50 years after Blade Runner 2049, the 2017 sequel starring Ryan Gosling. That movie broadened the franchise’s exploration of artificial intelligence, identity, and what it means to be human, but the new series will feature a new cast of characters facing their own questions of survival and trust.

What Is Blade Runner 2099 About?

Michelle Yeoh plays Olwen, a replicant whose expiration date is approaching. Replicants are bioengineered lifeforms designed to look like humans, and their place in society has been a recurring theme in the franchise.

Hunter Schafer stars as Cora, a fugitive who has spent most of her life living under assumed names to survive. Circumstances bring the two women together, and they find themselves in the middle of a hunt for a runaway replicant who is hiding a dangerous secret.

But their investigation could have implications beyond their immediate survival. As the story progresses, the characters have to make decisions on whom to trust in a world where nothing is as it seems and the line between humans and replicants is not so clear-cut.

The premise continues the franchise’s tradition of mixing futuristic tech with questions about identity, morality, and humanity. But the new series will have to find its own footing following two movies that have built up a dedicated following over decades.

Blade Runner 2099 is executive produced by Ridley Scott, director of the original Blade Runner. Created and showrun by Silka Luisa, the writing team also includes Michael Green, co-writer on Blade Runner 2049.

Paul Inglis, who was the production designer on the 2017 film, is also returning. That creative through-line could help the series keep the unique visual atmosphere that made the films so memorable.

Blade Runner 2099 has the time to develop the story more than a feature film, with eight episodes to explore its characters and expand the franchise’s dystopian future. Can it live up to the cinematic impact of the others? We’ll have to see.

The series will debut on Prime Video on November 25, 2026.