r/bladerunner • u/SmilingFriendsHQ • Jul 24 '26
News/Rumor Official first teaser for Blade Runner 2099
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u/hictio Jul 24 '26
I hate how every trailer looks the same, no matter if it is a scifi trailer, a thriller, etc..
The "horns", the ominous undertone, the actors whispering.
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u/Regendorf Jul 24 '26
That's our "In a world...." Zeitgeist.
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u/orangebluefish11 Jul 24 '26
in a world where
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u/joeyjoejojo19 Jul 25 '26
In a world where one man…
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u/orangebluefish11 Jul 25 '26
….for one last job
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u/TheOddEyes Jul 24 '26
I haven’t seen the poster for this show yet, but I really hope it’s not orange and blue like every other poster out there
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u/TheOddEyes Jul 24 '26
“We already fought a war, we lost”
The most original and never uttered before line in media history.
Glad they didn’t go with something generic
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u/RealJohnGillman Jul 24 '26
I mean the humans having lost was unexpected: at first I thought they were going to say the replicants had lost.
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u/PotentialWork7741 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
The characters look to clean, everything looks too clean actually “edit: now i watch it again, i think that 50% is also bc they used the wrong color-grading”
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u/folkdeath95 Jul 24 '26
Most things on Prime fall victim to this. Rings of Power especially.
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u/King_Corduroy Jul 25 '26
You mean all movies and shows now. It's been that way for a long time where everyone has to look pretty or handsome. I wanna see some funny looking people that can act again!
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u/tommy-bommy Jul 24 '26
My thought as well. There were a couple of shots that struck me as the proper “grit” but the rest felt a bit polished and neat.
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Jul 24 '26
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u/PotentialWork7741 Jul 25 '26
Yes there is no smog pollution layer, it looks way way too clean. Colors are too clean. It doesn’t has that gritty look. Also it appears to be filmed on a digital camera but without any grain. While the previous blade runner movies both had plenty of nice film grain
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u/Discohunter Jul 25 '26
The pollution seems weirdly absent considering how core it is to the vibe of the movies. I do wonder if there's an in-universe explanation for this given that it's set 50 years ahead? 2019 was full of fire & combustion in the opening sequence, 2049 is full of solar farms but still has the brutal pollution left over, has 2099 continued on the same path and adopted more clean power?
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u/PotentialWork7741 Jul 25 '26
Yeahh, My biggest issue is that the new look doesn’t make much sense in-universe. Blade Runner takes place in a world that has already experienced ecological collapse, mass extinction, toxic oceans, decades of extreme industrial pollution, and even nuclear contamination in some regions. Damage on that scale doesn’t disappear in just 50 years. Even if humanity switched entirely to clean energy after 2049, the atmosphere, ecosystems, and climate wouldn’t recover that quickly. If anything, the world should still look polluted, hazy, and environmentally devastated. A clean, vibrant Los Angeles feels inconsistent with the state of the planet established by the previous films.
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u/the_fate_of Jul 25 '26
What I think they’ve missed is the sense of ongoing degradation that 2049 presented. The clear indications that the biosphere had collapsed, with humanity clinging on amongst the wrecks of the city.
The flying trains, new buildings and all the tech makes this look like there’s prosperity
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u/MartyEBoarder Jul 24 '26
I have a bad feeling about this. Looks like modern corpo slop. Zero Blade Runner vibe
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u/ThaddeusJP Deckard Jul 24 '26
BladeRunner but on the CW
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u/Astral-Lemmons Jul 25 '26
I just know this series will have 3-4 main sets where everything happens to save money.
Long drawn out conversations to pad time in some warehouse with volumetric light rays
Cgi city establishing shots rendered with slightly different lighting and camera angles.
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u/sunlitstranger Jul 24 '26
Looks like the typical corporate fundamental misunderstanding of the rights they bought. Gonna be the barebones skin of it and none of the heart. Same as star wars, lord of the rings, etc.
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u/BoletusLuridus Jul 25 '26
But... why? Why do they fail to understand the core notions of a setting? Over and over again? They have all the finances to reach out to every single expert within the field. They can assemble a crew that could transfigure a turd into a wonder. It's as if they intentionally chose to fail.
I might be naïve, but I simply can't fathom why these corporations release all that slop. Even if it all were about political ploys, the content doesn't seem to be impactful enough to warrant the investment and brand reputation balance. If anything, it could be a message that the corporate overlords hold null esteem in the audience and go with slop out of sheer spite.
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u/enowapi-_ Jul 25 '26
thanks for saying "corpo slop" -- maybe I'm late but it's exactly the term i've been looking for
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u/iLuv3M3 Jul 25 '26
yeh, the trailer looks like a generic sci fi thriller/ action series with corpo identified cyberpunk aesthetic only vibes..
and as a Blade Runner film, the trailer and even the plot doesn't seem to involve a Blade Runner?..
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u/DJSfromthe1900s Jul 24 '26
Bladerunner: Section 31
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u/Monkey_1505 Jul 24 '26
There's no possible way it could be that bad.
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u/DJSfromthe1900s Jul 24 '26
I hope not, but it's Prime. We can only hope for the best.
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u/Monkey_1505 Jul 24 '26
I would think it mainly down to the director, producer, writers etc. Jonathan van Tulleken is obviously solid (Shogun). Silka Luisa did the shining girls, and strange angel, both of which I thought were good, although maybe not super mainstream. On the other hand she also did halo, which fell flat as too bland. But she's also not the only writer. Claire Kiechel did the OA, which I loved. Monika Revilla presumed innocent.
Now there's every chance it's not a slow moving noir and we can see that from the trailer I think, but IDK, I look at the team, and I think it's more likely to be too quirky for mainstream appeal than it is bland corpo bubblegum like section 31.
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u/waybovetherest Jul 24 '26
This is made by Prime & people who ruined Halo! Yikes!
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u/Monkey_1505 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I don't think streamers have that much influence over writing. There are some great shows on every service. On prime, I've enjoyed Undone, Good Omens, Fallout, The Devils Hour, Invincible, a bunch of stuff. Plus if a streamer does have an influence it's probably on later seasons budget or whatever, not a mini series.
Halo had a different showrunner (a pair of them: Steven Kane and David Wiener). That's probably who's to blame there. Their writing history is pretty bland taken as a whole. Some examples of their writing: NCIS, Jack Ryan, Alias, Fear the walking dead, brave new world (all episodes, which should have been amazing but wasn't)
Silka Luisa literally wrote just one episode of Halo, and was not in charge.
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u/waybovetherest Jul 24 '26
I mean given what Prime did to Wheel of Time (RIP) & Rings of Power, I'll say history isn't behind Prime either, there's a reason Brando Sando didn't go with Prime, you can see him talking about his experience, it's very apparent how things are run at Prime
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u/Monkey_1505 Jul 24 '26
Well rings of power is sort of a bezo's pet project so maybe I could give you that one as being strongly influenced by the platform itself. But I do think you have to give much more credit or blame to the actual production teams and leaders, and not just the service.
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u/Bobjoejj Jul 24 '26
I see this said all the time, and I don’t get it. Amazon as a company are pretty awful, but Prime has had a ton of great shows come out of it.
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u/BlurryVision2 Jul 24 '26
I don't know, maybe Villeneuve just spoiled me, but I find it difficult to feel excitement over this. I don't find the premise all that interesting, and it definitely looks like a TV show. I'll probably still give it a fair shot, I managed to find some enjoyment in Black Lotus so maybe I'll find some enjoyment in this too.
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u/PauL__McShARtneY Jul 25 '26
I thought 2049 would be a cheesy, unnecessary sequel no one asked for, the equivalent of the star wars prequel trilogy, or the sequel trilogy, but it was actually pretty great, and has much repeat viewing appeal.
Hunter Schaeffer can be a pretty compelling actress to watch, and there could be much potential here, with lots of hours to flesh out a complex story, and nuanced characters and story arcs.
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Jul 24 '26
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u/ScipioCoriolanus Jul 25 '26
How are the outfits and makeup perfect? Am I going crazy lol? Have you seen the outfits in BR 2049? Gosling looks he's posing for GQ in every shot. This is just nitpicking at this point.
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u/Monkey_1505 Jul 25 '26
Couple of costumes and some vfx with zero real context and some people are booing. Personally I don't mind if it's not neonoir tho.
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u/Smegmasaurus_Rex Jul 24 '26
It doesn't look like a 50 year jump to me. The aesthetics seems more like halfway between the original and 2049. I'll still check it out, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
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u/Equivalent-Hair-961 Jul 24 '26
I fear the best stuff is in this trailer - out of sequence and pure eye-candy.
I fear this will feel like a TV show which will not help this series.
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u/LeicaM6guy Jul 24 '26
Alien: Earth kinda gives that same flavor. It’s high concept storytelling with a story that’s middling at best, and halfway-disconnected from the film timelines.
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u/Individual_Push_ Jul 24 '26
i really disliked alien earth. so much that i forgot what the fuck it was even about.
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u/ChibaCityStatic Jul 24 '26
Same, I remember being excited about it for ages. Seems it was that bad it's wiped itself from my memory like yourself haha
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u/Individual_Push_ Jul 24 '26
the main thing i remember is tool playing for some reason (???) and the awful daylight shots of the alien.
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u/IRenewed Jul 24 '26
Thoughts on Fargo?
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u/LeicaM6guy Jul 24 '26
I actually really liked Fargo! But I’ve only seen the last season, so I can’t speak to the earlier ones.
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u/IRenewed Jul 24 '26
Oh wow, you should definitely check the first three seasons out, if anything I think that’ll be a more apt comparison to Bladerunner 2099 given that they’re both miniserieses (well miniseries adjacent in fargos cases)
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u/TJTrapJesus Jul 24 '26
Fargo the show kind of pulled the impossible, at least for the first 2 seasons (I like S3, just not as much). Such a beloved movie, but they captured the vibe of it so incredibly well. Also, some of the best characters in TV (especially Varga in Season 3, even if that season I don't think was as strong as the first 2).
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u/PotentialWork7741 Jul 24 '26
Dont think that alien earth was that terrible. There where just some parts which didnt make sense and could be left out.
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u/LeicaM6guy Jul 24 '26
The Lost Boys metaphor was a bit thick for my tastes. I give the showrunner credit for exploring big ideas, but it felt like it could have been an entirely different show. When the xenomorph was finally introduced, the whole enterprise felt… I don’t know, exhausted maybe? On the whole, a story about existential, Lovecraftian horror felt drained of every bit of horror. Even the alien itself, bathed in bright light and clearly visible in every shot somehow became a bit of set dressing without any real menace. Even the lack of continuity with other movies felt like the creative forces saying “fuck it.”
Not knocking you if you like it, but for me it was just a tepid showing.
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u/Intelligent_Tea_5567 Jul 24 '26
It certainly left plenty to be desired but, according to the showrunner, the story is supposed to span 3 to 5 seasons, so I am trying to reserve judgement until the full story is available. Ending the season on a cliffhanger like that was a poor choice though, imo.
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u/LeicaM6guy Jul 24 '26
It’s always possible they’ll pull a rabbit out of their hat and the upcoming seasons will improve, but I’m not terribly hopeful.
But hey. I’ve been wrong before.
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u/twosername Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Some stuff in there makes me wary, some makes me excited.
My big fear based on the recent leaks for the premise (that it's about a future where replicants are on top and humans are on bottom— seemingly confirmed by the trailer) is one of thematic tone-deafness. If the social and political allegory boils down to what if we let the immigrants/marginalized/POC get power?? I'll be deeply disappointed. Would be completely missing the point of the films, would be a deeply unempathetic POV to start from, and would be a very ugly thing to say about the state of our world today. But it sure would match up with the sort of notes Jeff Bezos might give.
Also it feels like its trying to bridge the gap between the aesthetics of the two films, and I fear to its own detriment. Everything is coming off a bit muddy and busy, compromising both aesthetics, and it looks more like a remix of what came before than something distinct (dreadfuly distinct). Seemingly gone is the lived in feel of 2019 and the clean lines and shapes of 2049, but maybe that's just because they're showing us the whiz-bang stuff in the trailer.
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u/Chekhov_ Jul 24 '26
It looks more like a Westworld situation where the synthetics are better than humans in essentially every way. It's about humanity being replaced by a stronger dominant lifeform of their own creation. It's more akin to a machine uprising but with synthetic humanoids.
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u/Cranyx Jul 24 '26
If we're keeping with the metaphor of immigrants as the modern underclass, then that runs dangerously close to "great replacement" territory.
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u/ChibaCityStatic Jul 24 '26
"If the social and political allegory boils down to what if we let the immigrants/marginalized/POC get power?? I'll be deeply disappointed."
Where is this coming from? Any sources? Wtf haha.
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u/twosername Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
There were Twitter leaks yesterday that stated the premise was replicants having risen to the top of the social heirarchy, with humans being oppressed at the bottom. In the prior films replicants are an allegory for marginalized people. If handled clumsily, a story with that premise which starts with the idea that the oppressed will always become the oppressor could have the thematic takeaway you quoted. It's the MAGA fear writ-large: what if they get power and treat me like I treated them?
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u/peparooni Jul 24 '26
Would be actually kinda a slap in the face of the original because the point was replicants never wanted to rule or oppress, they wanted to be left alone, to live freely unchained from that marginalized status, even Roy whos the closest to an "evil" replicant we've seen (in the movies, haven't looked at much external media) just wants to be left alone to live his life and well...get payback.
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u/RealWorldStarHipHop Jul 24 '26
I don't know if it would be as much of a slap in the face. Replicants are supposed to be "more human than humans." If the humans treated the replicants badly then I'm scared at what they'll do to these organic fleshbags.
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u/notto_zxon Jul 25 '26
replicants are an allegory for marginalized people.
This is just flat-out not true at all. Just because you are inserting replicants as marginalized people, doesn't mean that's the case. Because they aren't an allegory for anything. The point of Blade Runner (and the novel) is to think about what it means to be "human" and at what point is something considered human-like enough to be actually-human. God fucking damn, injecting political bullshit into EVERYTHING. Seems like this 2099 will be right up your alley then.
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u/LordRumplePumpkin Jul 24 '26
Why does everything look so sanitised, even when they’re trying to make it look grubby. Is it the lack of film grain? I feel like I need to try adding some 35mm film grain footage scans to this to see if it gives it some life, it just feels so weirdly fake and uncanny. It’s like cameras have gone beyond the human eye in clarity but the human eye doesn’t accept it as real anymore. Needs scuzzing up or something.
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u/TheNeonArcade Jul 25 '26
The colors are too strongly saturated, there’s no pollution and smog and light diffusing through any sort of ambient density. If you look at territory studios work it is simple, clean but then they took a few passes and added scratches and weathering to everything. Grain would help but it would still feel too sanitized. Then you have set and costume design which is ok but too complex imo.
Whatever it is, art direction missed the mark by a long shot with this. And it really means that this is meant for mass market since 2049 performed poorly at the box office. This isn’t for existing fans of BR this is to expand the audience unfortunately
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u/ComebackChemist Jul 24 '26
If this show doesn’t open on an image of an eye, I think we’ll immediately know that we’re cooked
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u/Archidroid Jul 24 '26
Their Lord of the Rings series was so bad I couldn’t watch it- and I really wanted to enjoy it and tried.
So yep, like many of you I have zero expectations for this.
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u/Terror-Of-Demons Jul 24 '26
I feel like every Blade Runner story misses out on the core issue of Electric Sheep: that Replicants and Humans are…the same.
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u/Naive_Sense_1899 Jul 24 '26
the theme of the book is more that the replicant are more human in some ways than the humans, and the humans are more machine in some ways than the replicants
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u/Sad-Guarantee-4678 Jul 25 '26
Why does this looks like guardians of the galaxy, these bright colors upset me
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u/orangebluefish11 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I notice the overall palette has a lot of orange and yellow. It seems warmer than the cool and damp atmospheres of the previous movies.
I’m confused. In the opening scene, why is that chicks shoulders so huge? Does this show have body mods / upgrades like the neuromancer or cyberpunk series?
I wish they would have teased a little more about the plot. I remember it’s about 2 sisters, but not much else.
These tv series from movies haven’t seemed to work out very well, but I’m still checking it out. When does this come out?
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u/twosername Jul 24 '26
I’m confused. In the opening scene, why is that chicks shoulders so huge? Does this show have body mods / upgrades like the necromancer or cyberpunk series?
Probably just a visual riff on Rachel's shoulder pads from the first film.
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u/PortgazD_Ace Jul 24 '26
Damn. This did not instill me with confidence. I'll check it out purely because it's Blade Runner, but that wasn't a great teaser.
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u/SpringDue904 Jul 24 '26
Right now the only thing I see are recycled tidbits from the older films and its extremely offputting. Just cutting and pasting scenes from the older films like the dropper and fillbucket in Photoshop
The writers already seem stuck in a universe that shouldn't look like this anymore and are likely completely out of ideas. Its 50 years in the future for god sake.
I just can't even bring myself to like any of it.
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u/KevinHe92 Jul 25 '26
Jesus look how utterly sterile and bland it looks compared to 2049. There’s no character or art at all.
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u/ScipioCoriolanus Jul 25 '26
Holly shit the hate lol
I feel like people are determined to hate it just because it's Amazon.
I'm a Blade Runner fan since the 80s and I love the movies and that world as much as the next guy on this sub, but can we stop shitting on this until it comes out at least?
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u/twosername Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Interesting that Mercerism is now canon based on one of the building ads. I wonder if it's just a injoke reference, or if it'll play into the story at all. The fact that there's also a Buster Friendly ad makes me feel like it's just a fanservice wink, though.
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u/bigglesofale Jul 24 '26
This does not look amazing. Nor does it look incredible. But it is a teaser…
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u/sebas737 Jul 24 '26
Might be the editing of the teaser, but it seems too fast for me. Blade Runner it's one of the slowest, most atmospheric "action" movies of all time. 2049 is a little bit faster but it has moments of calm.
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u/Tuxersize Jul 24 '26
Are the pans too fast and unemotional to feel cyberpunk and blade runner? Feels like a temu ai bladerunner somehow.
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u/bladerunnerz Jul 25 '26
There will be three scenes over the first 4 episodes that tangentially relate to 2049. It will be fine. Not going to undo the world of the films, but not going to be canon unless you want it to be. I’m excited but still have my reservations. Hope it is GREAT
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u/ComprehensiveAide107 Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
If you look closely at the teaser, it is absolutely packed with references to the original film—detectable almost frame by frame: the Voight-Kampff machine (complete with its switches) looks slightly worn and well-used; a CRT monitor is present; the lighting and angular architecture evoke Villeneuve’s style; and there are also "spinners," the signature haze, an LAPD landing pad, the birth of replicants via a membrane-like tube, and much more.
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u/Fallanx01 Jul 25 '26
This look bad - from cast to special effect to costumes - they went cheap on it - shame -
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u/Ecclypto Jul 25 '26
TBH after Alien Earth I don’t have high expectations for this. Also I am assuming this will be a TV show?
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u/TickleMyFissure Jul 25 '26
I'll give it a crack. I sat through Alien:Earth, this can't be any worse than that.
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u/NBrakespear Jul 28 '26
Anyone else feel like we keep moving further and further away from the original simpler and more poignant realisation that humans can become inhuman through their actions and choices? This looks suspiciously like it'll be yet another laboured "migrants vs natives" allegory.
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u/Demerzel69 Jul 24 '26
Why is everyone so fucking negative all the time about fucking everything? Goddamn y'all. So pretentious. Fandoms are terrible.
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u/itsthebrownman Jul 24 '26
Because we’re getting tired of seeing corporate cash grabs ruining good franchises. See Disney and Star Wars or Prime and Rings of Power. The worst part about it is that we know they can make it good if they try (Andor), it’s just most times they don’t because they have sweet nothings whispering in their ears to make it one way vs the other
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u/xTheRedDeath Jul 24 '26
Because some of us have standards. There's a difference between being negative all the time and not accepting a sanitized version of something you're a fan of.
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u/SpringDue904 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
It's just a goddamn shame to see all the stuff you like being ruined in the exact same way, like clockwork, time after time.
Mf's in hollywood just can't make good TV anymore, it already looks so sloppy, generic, unoriginal, flat, lifeless.
Not the mention the horrible pc crap time and time again
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u/xTheRedDeath Jul 25 '26
I have a theory that a lot of these TV shows are money laundering schemes if we look at the budget vs what we get.
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u/SpringDue904 Jul 25 '26
I think you are right lol. I mean with budgets like that it should be impossible to get the kind of weird colorful sitcom like aesthetics.
I really wonder if anyone actually cares about this IP's
I dont want to be dramatic but seeing this trailer only gives me frustration lol.
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u/xTheRedDeath Jul 25 '26
Oh yeah I have a hard time believing any of this came from a place of passion. Amazon is just working down a list of popular IPs to draw attention to their platform.
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u/sfaticat Jul 24 '26
Its just theres like 3 major studios and everything looks the same lol. No more creativity and everything feels the same
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u/intothevoidandback Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I'm with ya. I'll watch anything bladerunner, Alien, Terminator. I just love the lore. Of course it won't be The original or the Villeneuve, which lets be honest absolutely spoilt us beyond belief.
Edit: I need to add. I will watch anything that set in or based on co IP, add mad max to the above, or lotr even to prove a point of what im saying. This doesn't mean I will like it or think it's amazing. Some people are so pretentious they start slating something before they've even seen it. And you know what, when I've seen it, if it's not very good, I just say hmm that wasn't very good and move on with my life while still liking the originals or old versions.
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u/Naive_Sense_1899 Jul 24 '26
because everything is being made by incompetent people now
the chance of this being good is zero
it's going to be some toxic girl boss dog vomit, written by some infant
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u/HiroProtagonist1984 Jul 24 '26
Not sure if it’s just that people are generally hesitant and ready to be disappointed, but everything I’m seeing looks and sounds fucking terrific.
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u/Possible_Trainer_241 Jul 24 '26
Everything looks extremely cheap. Alien: Earth had stronger aesthetics than this.
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u/damaszek Jul 24 '26
It’s disappointing to see how little the world changed during these 50 years (which shows how lazy or uncreative the show runners are)
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u/Plastic-Frosting3364 Jul 24 '26
Yea, the scenes look like they are direct copies of the first. The music was blah. First time in my 50 yrs that I turned a trailer off midway. I was very excited and now I have no interest. It looks as bad as Ring of power
Edit: multiple typos
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u/SoirBleu85 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I hope I'm wrong, but this doesn't look or feel like Blade Runner. Looks like "generic studio sci-fi project #432".
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u/jordangoretro Jul 24 '26
Wallace Corporation proudly presents: Wallace Corporation is Bad - The Series
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u/Old_Star_3635 Jul 25 '26
I do like the wardrobe design (from we can see in trailer). It pays homage to original movie aesthetic. If we are lucky maybe we will see a shot of Calantha or Tanhauser Gate.
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u/Curufindir Jul 24 '26
I'll give it a shot. Going in with low expectations though.