This winter has been quiet on the Prague production scene, but some major sci-fi projects are set to begin filming in Prague in the upcoming months. The limited series Blade Runner 2099, a follow-up to Blade Runner 2049 produced for Amazon‘s Prime Video, will shoot in the Czech capital from April, reports Deadline.
Blade Runner 2099 had originally been slated to film in Belfast, last spring, but production was put on hold due to the writers’ strike, reportedly after months of prep work in Ireland. In October, it was reported that the series was moving out of Belfast, with Deadline now confirming the project to film in Prague .
A cast for Blade Runner 2099 has yet to be revealed, but could potentially feature the participation of Harrison Ford and/or Ryan Gosling, who starred in the previous film. Neither are likely appear in the main roles for the series, however, which is set, as the title implies, 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049.
Gosling and Ana de Armas, who also memorably featured in Blade Runner 2049, previously filmed The Gray Man in the Czech capital in 2021. The actress returned to Prague last winter for production on the John Wick spinoff Ballerina, due out later this year.
Last spring, Jeremy Podeswa (best known for his work on Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire) had been slated to direct the first two episodes of Blade Runner 2099. Following the production delay, however, Podeswa has been replaced by British director Jonathan van Tulleken (Misfits, Top Boy), who recently directed the first two episodes of Shōgun for FX.
Blade Runner 2099 is the second Blade Runner spinoff produced for TV in recent years. The animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus premiered on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll in 2021.
Set to be a limited series, Blade Runner 2099 is produced by Ridley Scott‘s Scott Free Productions and Alcon Entertainment. Scott, who will serve as executive producer for the new series, directed the original Blade Runner, which was released to a mixed reception back in 1982 but has since become a cult classic.
Silka Luisa (Halo, Shining Girls) will serve as showrunner for Blade Runner 2099, and has co-written the series alongside a team that also includes Tom Spezialy (The Leftovers, Ash vs Evil Dead).
Filming locations for Blade Runner 2099 have yet to be revealed, but one can presume much of the production for the sci-fi series will take place at Barrandov Studio. Prague Studios, the other studio in the Czech capital able to handle a large-scale sci-fi production, will presumably be busy with the production of the third season of Foundation, which has now been confirmed to resume filming in Prague next month after multiple delays.
