The next installment in one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of all-time just got an exciting new update. A new report from Deadline revealed that Blade Runner 2099, the upcoming TV series which will be helmed by Jeremy Podeswa and Jonathan van Tulleken, has built out its ensemble cast with eight new stars. Dimitri Abold, best known for playing Reaper in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes, has joined the cast, as well as Lewis Gribben (Chemistry of Death, Somewhere Boy) and Katelyn Rose Downey (The Nun 2, Clean Sweep). Daniel Rigby, who most recently appeared in two episodes of Renegade Nell, has also joined the cast, with all the aforementioned members being billed as series regulars.

Also joining the cast in the form of guest-starring capacities is Johnny Harris, who is fresh off his role opposite Ewan McGregor in A Gentleman in Moscow, and Amy Lennox. Sheila Atim, who starred in both The Woman King and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness will also play a guest role in Blade Runner 2099, as well as Matthew Needham, who currently portrays Larys Strong in House of the Dragon. Blade Runner 2099 was supposed to begin production last year but was delayed to 2024 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The series recently began filming in Spain and Prague just last month, with Silka Luisa set as the showrunner.

‘Blade Runner 2099’ Has Tapped Two Stars for Its Leads

The Blade Runner 2099 series was announced more than two years ago, and it took some time to get its feet off the ground. It wasn’t until May earlier this year that Michelle Yeoh was revealed as the first name to star in the sci-fi series. Yeoh has always been a superstar, dating back to her role in the Pierce Brosnan-led James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, but it wasn’t until recently that she finally received the acclaim she deserved. She won an Oscar for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, the A24 film that went on to claim seven Academy Awards at the 2023 Oscars.

Also starring alongside Yeoh in Blade Runner 2099 is Hunter Schafer, the Euphoria star who is also known for her roles in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and more recently in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Kinds of Kindness. Schafer is an up and comer, having only made her acting debut a few short years ago, but starring with Yeoh in a project as high-profile as Blade Runner 2099 will certainly give her the exposure to catapult her career into the stratosphere.

Blade Runner 2099 does not yet have an official release date.

via Collider