Blade Runner 2099

Production

Ridley Scott announced in November 2021 that a pilot for a Blade Runner television spin-off had been written, along with a series bible and initial plans for 10 episodes. The title Blade Runner 2099 was revealed in February 2022, with the series being developed for Amazon Prime Video. Silka Luisa joined as showrunner, writer, and executive producer, with additional writers from shows such as Watchmen and Star Wars: The Acolyte to be brought in. Luisa consulted with Blade Runner 2049 writer Michael Green on the series pitch, calling him an important part of the development process for guidance on the noir mystery. Scott considered directing during the development phase. Amazon ordered the series as a miniseries in September 2022, and Tom Spezialy joined as a writing executive producer. In March 2023, Jeremy Podeswa was hired to executive produce and direct the pilot episode, but he exited in February 2024 due to scheduling conflicts. Jonathan Van Tulleken took over directing the first two episodes, with Ariel Kleiman, Marcela Said, and Karena Evans also hired to direct episodes. Casting began in May 2023 with Michelle Yeoh joining as Olwen, followed by Hunter Schafer as the co-lead in June. Dimitri Abold and Lewis Gribben joined as series regulars in July, while Katelyn Rose Downey, Daniel Rigby, Johnny Harris, Amy Lennox, Sheila Atim, and Matthew Needham joined in recurring guest star roles. Tom Burke and Maurizio Lombardi joined in recurring roles in August. The series was preparing to shoot in Belfast when production was postponed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. After the strike ended, production left Northern Ireland entirely. Roughly 1.5 million of the 4.1 million awarded by the Northern Ireland Screen fund had been spent, but all money was returned to the fund upon the production's exit, leaving a gap in Northern Ireland's production schedule according to the fund's chief executive Richard Williams. Filming began in Prague in June 2024, primarily at Barrandov Studios with additional filming in Barcelona, and concluded in late December 2024.