Michelle Yeoh to star in ‘Blade Runner 2099’
Michelle Yeoh has landed a leading role in Prime Video’s upcoming sequel series, Blade Runner 2099.
The show will act as a sequel to the films in the franchise, which began with Ridley Scott’s original Blade Runner in 1982. Starring Harrison Ford, the film followed Rick Deckard as he hunts so-called replicants. It has become a cult science-fiction classic.
Ford returned to the franchise in 2017 for Blade Runner 2049. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the long-awaited sequel starred Ryan Gosling as K. The follow-up film was praised for its impressive visuals, taking home Oscars for cinematography and visual effects.
In 2022, Amazon Studios confirmed a Blade Runner television series, which will act as a follow-up to both films. Production on the show was delayed by the strikes last year, but finally began last month. Details about the direction of the sequel series are yet to be revealed, but Yeoh will star as Olwen, a “replicant near the end of her life,” according to Variety.
Yeoh has enjoyed huge award success and critical acclaim over the last few years, especially since she starred in Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s multi-verse blockbuster Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022.
The Malaysian actor took on the role of Evelyn Quan Wang, the mother of Stephanie Hsu’s chaotic Joy Wang. For her nuanced leading performance as the struggling mother, Yeoh received widespread praise and even took home an Academy Award for ‘Best Actress’, making her the first Asian actor to do so.
Since then, Yeoh has landed several other huge blockbusting projects. She is set to appear in Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Broadway staple Wicked, alongside Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, later this year. Yeoh has also landed a role in James Cameron’s sci-fi franchise, Avatar.
Blade Runner 2099 won’t mark the first time the franchise has received a series adaptation. In 2021, Blade Runner: Black Lotus provided a new, animated angle on the story with both Japanese and English voice casts. The upcoming Amazon show will mark the first live-action series in the Blade Runner franchise.
With Scott serving as an executive producer for the new show, Blade Runner 2099 looks to be a promising new addition to the series. Silka Luisa will act as showrunner, having previously worked on a series adaptation of the video game Halo.
Amazon are yet to reveal a timeline for the upcoming sequel series.
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