Adult Swim reveals that The Matrix 4 star Jessica Henwick will lead its upcoming anime series Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Set in the futuristic, cyberpunk landscape introduced in Ridley Scott's iconic 1982 film and expanded upon in Blade Runner 2049, Black Lotus will be set in the year 2032, right between the settings of the original film and the sequel. Though details have remained scarce since Blade Runner: Black Lotus was announced back in 2018, the animated series is expected to drop 13 episodes later this year on Adult Swim in English and on the Japanese streamer Crunchyroll, which co-produced the show. Now, with Comic-Con@Home 2021 just weeks away, Adult Swim and Crunchyroll have announced an all-star lineup of voice actors.
Leading the English-speaking voice cast is Jessica Henwick, who will also star in the long-awaited fourth Matrix film alongside Keanu Reeves. Polygon reports that Henwick will voice Elle, a female replicant living in the aftermath of Blade Runner Black Out 2022 when the Tyrell Corporation's servers were destroyed and replicant production was banned. Rounding out the voice cast are Succession star Brian Cox, who will play Wallace Corporation CEO Niander Wallace, Sr., and Yellowstone actor Wes Bentley as Niander Wallace, Jr. The episodes will be directed by prolific Japanese anime duo Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki, whose credits include Halo Legends and last year's Netflix release Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.
Henwick has long been seen as a trailblazer in the acting world, becoming the first British Chinese actress to lead a British series with BBC's adventure show Spirit Warriors. After appearing as Nymeria Sand in the later seasons of Game of Thrones, she achieved further global recognition playing Colleen Wing in the Marvel series Iron Fist and Luke Cage as well as X-wing pilot Jessika Pava in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With lead roles in Blade Runner: Black Lotus and The Matrix 4, Henwick appears well on her way to becoming one of the most in-demand actors in the sci-fi genre.
Source: Polygon