Prime Video’s Blade Runner: Based On A Cyberpunk Book Tha...

Prime Video’s Returning Cyberpunk Franchise Is Based On A Book That Changed Sci-Fi Forever Mackenzie Davis as Mariette in Blade Runner 2049

By Dhruv Sharma Published Feb 14, 2026, 9:15 PM EST Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

One of the most iconic live-action cyberpunk franchises, which is based on a seminal sci-fi novel, is all set to return on Prime Video in 2026. The book it was inspired by remains one of the most influential works in science fiction, which makes the cyberpunk franchise's return even more exciting.

Getting cyberpunk right in the live-action medium is not an easy feat because it requires everything from a big production budget to meticulous world-building. Yet, there is one franchise in the sci-fi subgenre that keeps getting better with each new installment.

Its new installment will premiere on Prime Video soon, and it is hard not to recall the iconic sci-fi book that sparked its entire universe.

Philip K. Dick’s Iconic Novel Serves As Blade Runner’s Foundational Text

Flying car and digital billboard in Blade Runner

Although Ridley Scott's Blade Runner movie is original in more ways than one, its thematic DNA lies in Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Philip K. Dick's work is often known for focusing less on conventional plot progression and more on non-linear explorations of philosophical underpinnings. Owing to this, his stories often have to be changed before they can be adapted for the screen.

Blade Runner does the same by significantly removing the book's 1960s "counter-culture" weirdness to create a more noir aesthetic. However, it stays true to the book's foundational questions about what it means to be human in a world where artificial beings are engineered to feel and even suffer much like their creators.

Even the portrayal of a decaying world with high-tech and low life is similar in both the movie and the source material. Blade Runner is often credited as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and its source material deserves the same level of appreciation.

If it wasn't for the Philip K. Dick novel, the cyberpunk genre would not have had the philosophical backbone that allowed it to evolve beyond stylish dystopian imagery.

The cyberpunk subgenre was yet to establish its distinct identity when Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was first published. However, the book served as one of the earliest works to pave the way for its inception.

The Blade Runner Franchise Is Returning To The Small Screen In 2026

Prime Video

Nearly a decade after Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner movie, the franchise is finally returning to the screen again with a new sequel, Blade Runner 2099. Created by Silka Luisa for Prime Video, the show, as its title suggests, will unfold 50 years after Blade Runner 2049. Most other details surrounding its story are still under wraps, but it is hard not to anticipate how it will further expand the franchise's lore.

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Given how both Blade Runner movies initially struggled at the box office before earning wider appreciation, the show seems like a risky project from a commercial standpoint.

However, if it manages to be as visually stunning and philosophically deep as the films and the Philip K. Dick sci-fi book, it could leave its mark on the genre and even set the stage for more follow-ups. While only time will tell how the show will turn out, it seems like the perfect time to rewatch both Blade Runner movies and read Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep before it premieres on Prime Video.

Blade Runner 2099 TV-MA Science Fiction Thriller Network Prime Video Directors Jonathan van Tulleken Writers Silka Luisa Cast Michelle Yeoh, Hunter Schafer, Dimitri Abold, Lewis Gribben, Katelyn Rose Downey, Daniel Rigby Franchise(s) Blade Runner Executive Producer(s) Andrew A. Kosove, Ben Roberts, Broderick Johnson, Clayton Krueger, Cynthia Sikes, David W. Zucker, Frank Giustra, Isa Dick Hackett, Jonathan van Tulleken, Michael Green, Richard Sharkey, Ridley Scott, Silka Luisa, Tom Spezialy, Steven Johnson Producers Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Cynthia Sikes, David W. Zucker, Frank Giustra, Michael Green, Richard Sharkey, Ridley Scott, Tom Spezialy, Isa Dick Hackett, Steven Johnson, Clayton Krueger, Ben Roberts Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) Prime Video Powered by