Amazon Prime's forthcoming sci-fi show just expanded its cast in a major way

One of the most exciting upcoming TV projects just had its cast expanded in quite a dramatic way, according to new reports. Blade Runner 2099 promises to be a thrilling new story in the Blade Runner universe when it arrives on Amazon Prime Video at some point down the line. 

We don't have any indication of when that might be, with the show not yet in full production, but we've known for a little while that it'll star Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh along with Hunter Schafer in a new story, without any expected continuity from 2017's Blade Runner 2049 movie. 

Now, the show has added a whole bunch of new actors to its lineup, comprised of veteran faces from a range of other TV shows, according to a report from Variety. At least two of these, Dimitri Abold and Lewis Gribben, will be regulars in the series, while a bunch of others will play guest roles.

These include Katelyn Rose Downey, Daniel Rigby, Johnny Harris, Amy Lennox, Sheila Atim, and Matthew Needham (who has been sliming up the screen as Larys Strong in House of the Dragon over the last couple of years). These actors will be recurring guest stars, so some of them might well be in more than one episode eventually. 

It's been some 18 months since the show was formally greenlit, according to industry reports, but with a production of this scale (and it's anticipated to be a pretty huge show) it's likely that it'll be widely known when it finally starts shooting. 

Sadly for movie fans, there's not set to be any involvement from 2049 director Denis Villeneuve, who has his hands full working out how to film a third Dune movie, but Ridley Scott is on board to executive produce along with a host of others, so the franchise's first director will be involved. 

Curiously, the only name so far tangible connected as a director is Jonathan van Tulleken, who will apparently direct the first two episodes. His filmography in that role isn't exactly heartening – the most recognisable name in the list is 2013's Movie 43, which was destroyed by reviews and still holds a shocking 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Here's hoping he's learned plenty since then. 

After all, glitzy sci-fi shows now seem to be a key part of staying in the running to be the best streaming service, so Amazon will be hoping this adds to Prime Video's lustre.