BLADE RUNNER Anime Series Heading to Adult Swim & Crunchyroll
Alcon Television Group is teaming up with Adult Swim and Crunchyroll to dive back into the world of Blade Runner.
Blade Runner – Black Lotus will be a new 13-episode half-hour anime series produced by animation studio Sola Digital Arts, which also produced the new Ultraman anime. Producers have confirmed that the show will take place in the year 2032 and will include some familiar characters, although no other details about the plot were released.
Adult Swim will distribute the English dubbed version throughout the world, absent Asia, while Crunchyroll will have the worldwide streaming rights. The streaming service currently boasts more than 45 million registered users.
“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 project is one of many in the new development deal between Adult Swim and Crunchyroll.
The episodes of the first season will be directed by Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex); Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop) is a creative producer. Alcon’s Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Laura Lancaster, Al-Francis Cuenca, and Sola Digital Art’s Joseph Chou will executive produce the project. Alcon exec Ben Roberts will serve as co-executive producer. Production IG’s Mitsuhisa Ishikawa is participating as production advisor.
Prior to the release of Blade Runner 2049, which received five Oscar nominations, there were three short pieces released online: Black Out 2022, 2036: Nexus Dawn, and 2048: Nowhere to Run. Watanabe wrote and directed Black Out 2022, which is an anime short that details the chaos that ensued following an EMP detonation, causing a global blackout.
No release date for the new series has been announced as of yet.
