Michelle Yeoh, the Malaysian actress best known for her roles in classic Hong Kong action films that include Police Story 3: Supercop (1992) and Tai Chi Master (1993), has been tapped to lead the new Blade Runner 2049 sequel series that Amazon has been developing over the past few years for its Prime Video service, entertainment outlets have learned. Yeoh, who won an Academy Award in 2023 for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once, will reportedly play a replicant who is “near the end of her life” in the show, which is being led by Halo’s Silka Luisa and executive produced by Ridley Scott.
Coverage highlights:
- “Details of Yeoh’s role are under wraps, as is the show’s plot.”
- “Production recently began overseas, following a delay of nearly a year due to the double strikes of 2023.”
- “In addition to serving as showrunner of the limited series, Silka Luisa is exec producing alongside [Ridley] Scott…”
- “Jonathan van Tulleken (Shōgun) is directing the first two episodes and also serves as EP, with Steven Johnson as co-executive producer.”
Yeoh’s other upcoming projects include:
- Avatar 3
- Avatar 4
- Avatar 5
- Star Trek: Section 31
- Wicked
Amazon confirmed that it was developing the series in 2022, with an exec saying:
The original ‘Blade Runner,’ directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce ‘Blade Runner 2099’ to our global Prime Video customers.
We are honored to be able to present this continuation of the ‘Blade Runner’ franchise, and are confident that by teaming up with Ridley, Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and the remarkably talented Silka Luisa, ‘Blade Runner 2099’ will uphold the intellect, themes, and spirit of its film predecessors.