Blade Runner 2099's Final Trailer Shows the Day Replicants Took L.A.
Tears in rain, now in eight episodes.
Prime Video released the final trailer for Blade Runner 2099 on Monday, and it might be the clearest look yet at a Los Angeles that replicants now control. All eight episodes of the limited series arrive on November 25, only on Prime Video.
The trailer follows last month's Blade Runner 2099 poster, which put Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer above the title. This time, the two stars get considerably more screen time, surrounded by the franchise's signature rain, neon signs and enormous industrial ruins.
What happens in the Blade Runner 2099 final trailer?
The trailer leans heavily on the new balance of power between humans and replicants. One character says, "I was there when replicants took L.A.," over shots of a smoky, ruined skyline. Later, another warns that "it's harder to look something in the eye than to kill it," which sounds like the central question of the entire series.
Prime Video posted the trailer with the line "Whatever you can build, you can destroy," which fits the mood.
Who are Cora and Olwen?
The series is set 50 years after Blade Runner 2049. Hunter Schafer plays Cora, a fugitive who takes on one last identity as a Blade Runner. She's forced to partner with Olwen, a replicant played by Michelle Yeoh who is nearing the end of her life, according to TheWrap. Together they hunt a runaway who holds a truth that could destabilize their city.
In earlier footage, Cora resents how many replicants now walk the streets, while Olwen tries to convince her that they're here to stay. "But it's our time now," Olwen tells her.
Who is making Blade Runner 2099?
Silka Luisa, who created Shining Girls for Apple TV+, is the creator and showrunner. Ridley Scott, who directed the original 1982 film, is an executive producer, and Jonathan van Tulleken directs the first two episodes.
Dimitri Abold and Lewis Gribben are also series regulars. The recurring cast includes Sheila Atim, Tom Burke, Johnny Harris, Daniel Rigby and Amy Lennox, according to Amazon.
When does Blade Runner 2099 come out?
All eight episodes premiere on Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving in the United States. That makes it a full binge release, so nobody has to wait a week between episodes, and the holiday weekend gives everyone plenty of time to finish the entire season.
My read is that this trailer finally sells the show on its own terms. It clearly respects the original movies while building something of its own, and Yeoh as a fading replicant is exactly the kind of casting this franchise needs. (Somebody check whether she dreams of electric sheep.)
Are you watching Blade Runner 2099 on November 25? Tell us in the comments.
