Hunter Schafer is stepping into one of science fiction’s most celebrated worlds as the lead of Blade Runner 2099, the highly anticipated television continuation of Ridley Scott’s landmark franchise.

The newly released teaser offers the first proper look at the Euphoria star as Cora, a mysterious fugitive whose fate becomes entwined with that of Michelle Yeoh’s Olwen. Set 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049, the eight-part limited series explores a Los Angeles where the balance of power has shifted dramatically, with Replicants now holding the upper hand as humanity struggles to survive.

Schafer’s character sits at the heart of the story. Although Cora presents herself as a Replicant, she is in fact a human living under a stolen identity in a desperate attempt to evade capture. Forced into one final mission, she teams up with Olwen to track down a runaway whose existence threatens to destabilise the fragile order of their city.

The synopsis teases: “Fifty years after the events of Blade Runner 2049, Los Angeles has been reborn, just not by humanity. Cora, a fugitive in a final bid to stop running, takes on one last identity: a Blade Runner. Forced to partner with Olwen, a Replicant days from dying, she hunts down a runaway hiding a truth that could collapse their fragile city.”

The series expands the universe first introduced in Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic and later revisited by Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed Blade Runner 2049, which starred Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. While previous stories centred on Blade Runners hunting rogue Replicants, Blade Runner 2099 promises to explore a world where those old divisions have become increasingly blurred.

Michael Green, who co-wrote Blade Runner 2049, returns to help shape the series, with Scott serving as executive producer and creative adviser. Together, the creative team has aimed to preserve the philosophical questions and striking visual identity that have defined the franchise for more than four decades while telling a story designed specifically for television.

Speaking to Collider, showrunner Silka Luisa noted they felt Blade Runner 2099 “was always considered a limited series.”

Alongside Hunter Schafer and Michelle Yeoh, Blade Runner 2099 also features Tom Burke, Lewis Gribben, Dimitri Abold and Daniel Rigby.

The series premieres on Amazon Prime Video on November 2, with Schafer leading a new generation into one of cinema’s most influential science fiction universes.