Alcon Entertainment has announced that it has partnered with Adult Swim and Crunchyroll to produce and distribute Blade Runner: Black Lotus, an anime series inspired by last year’s Blade Runner 2049.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus will feature thirteen 30-minute episodes produced by animation studio Sola Digital Arts (Ultraman). Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) will direct all episodes of the premiere season, which will follow their current directorial work on the upcoming Ghost in the Shell series reboot.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, the producers have confirmed the story will take place in 2032 and will include some familiar characters from the Blade Runner universe.
“I first saw Blade Runner in 1982, at age 11. It has remained one of the defining films of my life,” said Jason DeMarco, svp/creative director of Adult Swim on-air. “To be able to explore more of this universe, with the incredible talent we have on board, is a dream come true.”
“Blade Runner is a seminal work, and its influence permeates the genre,” said Sae Whan Song, head of business development for Crunchyroll. “Adult Swim shares our excitement to bring this new series to fans, and we’re looking forward to building on this franchise together.”
“The Blade Runner universe is an incredibly deep well for story and character with its world and mythology that audiences have been debating and talking about since inception,” said Alcon’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. “We are excited to continue exploring that world via this anime series.”
This isn’t the first anime project set in the Blade Runner universe, as Alcon and Crunchyroll also released the short film Blade Runner – Black Out 2022 last year, serving as a prequel to Blade Runner 2049.
Meanwhile, the franchise will also soon be branching out into the world of comic books, with Blade Runner 2049 screenwriter Michael Green penning an in-canon series for Titan Comics.
Originally published November 29, 2018. Updated July 8, 2021.
