We had a feeling Harrison Ford wasn’t going to be part of Prime Video’s Blade Runner 2099 series. Though Rick Deckard, his “replicant-or-human?” character from Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic, did play a major role in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, and Ford clearly has no problem playing aging versions of his classic heroes (see also: Indiana Jones, Han Solo), you can imagine he was satisfied with where Deckard’s story ended.
But there was always a chance Deckard could pop back up in Blade Runner 2099. Last we saw, Deckard was alive and reuniting with his daughter, and Ford is still constantly working at 84 years old. However, Blade Runner 2099 creator and showrunner, Silka Luisa, has outright confirmed that won’t happen.
In an interview with Polygon, Luisa set the record straight. “Harrison Ford is not in the show. I feel like as a Blade Runner fan, I would want to know that, so I’m just gonna be a full disclosure: I wish, but no,” she said.
“It was important to [Alcon Entertainment, which controls the Blade Runner rights] that we separated ourselves from both films in terms of characters. From a mythological and canon point of view, we do reference back into the films. I can’t give that away without spoilers, but that was why having Ridley [Scott] a part of the show was such an important piece.”
Luisa called working with Scott “awesome” and credits him with being “the visual author of Blade Runner.” She also noted that Blade Runner 2099 could continue after its first season—but even if it doesn’t, it’s designed to stand on its own, a refreshing consideration in an era when so many series lay the groundwork for sequels that aren’t yet announced.
“We originally sold the show as a limited series,” she said. “This is a cinematic property. We have to retain some sense of filmic storytelling. Obviously, there’s always hope that audiences love the world and the characters and that it could continue. But in terms of this first series, it is a complete story within itself. That was really important.”
Blade Runner 2099 stars Hunter Schafer and Michelle Yeoh (but not Harrison Ford). It premieres November 25 on Prime Video.
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