Blade Runner 2099's story remains shrouded in mystery, the show, which wrapped filming in December of last year, features an impressive cast, including Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, Hugo Hamlet, and Juliana Yazbeck.

In a recent interview with Variety, Burke, who just recently starred in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, speaks about his experience filming Blade Runner 2099. Though he doesn't reveal any specifics, he does tease that the series is “much closer to the aesthetic of the first movie than the second movie,” citing a return to “that somewhat kind of Baroque, eclectic mix of cultures and time periods.” As far as themes, audiences can expect 2099 to explore similar ideas to both previous movies regarding what it means to be human. Check out Burke's comment below:

“Blade Runner 2099. There was a moment of just letting go… I was like, ‘OK, we’re really going out there with this.'

“It’s a lot to do with that thing quite intrinsic to the source material in the movie, which is actually what makes somebody human and what makes somebody not human. Or when does somebody cross some threshold.

“Can we really have a full sense of humanity without being very aware of our own dual sides? We all have the capacity for great evil as well as great good. I suppose every genre does that to some extent, but I do feel that the morality, that whole kind of thing is handled so well in the ‘Blade Runner’ world, to me. It’s got subtleties and nuances to it that I don’t think necessarily all sci-fi always has.”

What Burke's Tease Means For Blade Runner 2099

The Franchise's Key Themes Explained

It remains unclear who Burke is actually playing in the Blade Runner 2099 cast, but his comments mark the first major pieces of information to be shared about the series in many months. Though Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 features many similarities to Scott's original, it does make some changes visually, opting for less of a grungy and grimy look in favor of an aesthetic that is a little more sleek. Critically, both films were warmly received, with the sequel sporting an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes to the original's 89%.

Thematically, the two Blade Runner movies are both concerned with exploring similar concepts and ideas. The first movie is based on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which tackles questions relating to what it means to be human. The idea that empathy is one of humankind's defining traits is a prominent idea in the book, as it is in the films, with the lines between humans and androids blurring. Burke's comment suggests this driving question of what makes someone (or something) human will continue to be crucial in Blade Runner 2099.

Our Take On Burke's Blade Runner 2099 Tease

The Prime Video Series Is On The Right Track

Roger Deakins' cinematography in Blade Runner 2049 is truly magnificent, and combined with production design, costume design, and visual effects, the film presents a stunning version of a dystopian Los Angeles. That being said, Scott's Blade Runner was groundbreaking in of its visuals back in 1982, and Rick Deckard's (Harrison Ford) traversal of a crowded, culture-blending urban cityscape is a key part of the movie's charm and wonder. Returning to this 43 years later could make for some stunning television.

The Blade Runner: Black Lotus animated series brought the franchise to the small screen for the first time in 2021. It was met with generally positive, though somewhat lukewarm, reviews.

If there is one complaint to levy at Blade Runner 2049, it's that, thematically, it retreads many of the original movie's ideas. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it will be interesting to see whether 2099 approaches its themes in a different way. Many questions remain about Blade Runner 2099, but more info on the Prime Video series may now not be far off.

Source: Variety