Tom Burke joins Hunter Schafer in Prime Video's Blade Runner 2099, as Hideo Kojima probably celebrates
It's all coming together.
Blade Runner 2099 will be Amazon's next big sci-fi bet in the TV space, and its cast has been enticing for quite a while now. It can get even better though, as Tom Burke (Furiosa) and Maurizio Lombardi (Ripley) have joined the ongoing shoot.
Deadline shared this news, stating it didn't have details on the characters the actors will be playing. But that won't stop Hideo Kojima from getting super excited about this show.
Unsurprisingly, the legendary video game creator has constantly reminded us of his love for Blade Runner, also stating he's ready for Blade Runner 2099 because he's not one of those fans who automatically think the next entry in a famous franchise will be shite. Now that Hunter Schafer is leading the ensemble (alongside Michelle Yeoh) and Burke is locked in a secondary role? He probably won't shut up about it when it finally comes out on Prime Video.
Anyone who's been somewhat active on X/Twitter or IG for the last year or so knows Kojima has been on a roll of obsessing over up-and-coming actors. Typically, this is followed-up by Zoom/Skype calls, and then the legend says everyone in his sights gets scanned to appear in a future game. It's a running gag by now. Hunter Schafer especially appears to be one of his new muses, and the only thing that's gotten him to tweet as much in recent times was Furiosa's release.
Of course, we all know he's been pals with George Miller for a while, but more noticeably, he's spent a fair amount of time gushing over Tom Burke (Praetorian Jack) and Charlee Fraser (Mary Jabassa) in that movie. In fact, chances are he's already scanned the latter. Honestly, good for him. It's just very funny and endearing to see his deepest obsessions unfold in real time on social media.
I'm now prepared to see him tweet like crazy about Blade Runner 2099 the moment a single drop of marketing comes out, but the bigger question is this: how long until he gets Burke into one his upcoming games too?
Silka Luisa is the showrunner of Blade Runner 2099 and executive produces along with Ridley Scott. Production has begun in Prague and will move to Barcelona at a later date. We've yet to receive a potential release window, but chances are it may hit Prime Video in late 2025.