It has been confirmed that Blade Runner 2099 will premiere sometime in 2026, which seems to set the stage for an incredible cyberpunk rivalry on television. This upcoming rivalry in the science fiction genre goes way back and has the potential to change cyberpunk if all goes well.
Although all the top streamers have some incredible science fiction shows lined up for 2026, Blade Runner 2099 has to be among the most exciting ones in the genre. Serving as a prequel to both Blade Runner movies, the miniseries is being created by Silka Luisa and has an incredible cast, including Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, Dimitri Abold, and Lewis Gribben, among others.
While Blade Runner 2099‘s exact release date is yet to be announced, Prime Video has officially confirmed it will come out in 2026. Interestingly, it seems very likely that another highly anticipated cyberpunk TV adaptation will be eyeing a 2026 release, paving the way for a showdown between two potentially incredible additions to the subgenre.
Prime Video’s Blade Runner 2099 & Apple TV+’s Neuromancer Will Likely Release Around The Same Time
K looks up with purple light on his face in Blade Runner 2049
Other than Blade Runner 2099, Apple TV+’s adaptation of William Gibson’s Neuromancer is another highly anticipated cyberpunk TV series. Interestingly, as Neuromancer‘s filming schedule suggests, it will also likely come out in 2026. Apple TV+ has made no official announcements surrounding its release window, but it could come out around the same time as Blade Runner 2099.
As reports have confirmed, Neuromancer‘s filming schedule reportedly (via Midgard Times) began sometime in September 2024 and was scheduled to wrap up in May 2025. If things fell in place for the series during production, it should currently be in post-production, like Blade Runner 2099. This makes it highly likely that it will premiere in 2026 on Apple TV+.
Not a lot of memorable pure cyberpunk shows have come out in recent years. The genre has also seemingly experienced quite a dry spell on the big screens in the last decade. However, with Neuromancer and Blade Runner 2099 potentially releasing around the same time, it looks like 2026 will finally mark the revival of cyberpunk storytelling in mainstream media.
An Interesting Piece Of Trivia Connects The Two Cyberpunk Franchises
William Gibson’s Neuromancer was first published in 1984, two years after Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner hit the big screens. Interestingly, when William Gibson watched Blade Runner, he grew worried that many would accuse his book of copying the Ridley Scott movie. Owing to this, he mentioned in Neuromancer‘s graphic novel that the film did not consciously influence him in any way.
In an interview (via Gizmodo), Gibson also revealed he was afraid of watching Blade Runner because he feared it would be better than the cyberpunk world he had envisioned. When the movie failed to leave its mark at the box office, Gibson also wondered if his book would meet a similar fate.
Did You Know: The Blade Runner franchise is based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which is considered one of the most influential works in the cyberpunk genre. .
A few years after his book’s publication, William Gibson also met Ridley Scott, and the two discussed their influences. As Gibson recalled, both were deeply inspired by “French adult comic books and their particular brand of Orientalia.” This shared history between the two franchises makes Blade Runner 2099 and Neuromancer‘s shared release windows even more exciting.
0 Comments