The world of Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 continues in a new anime series from Adult Swim and Crunchyroll, Blade Runner: Black Lotus. The trailer for the new series wowed fans at SDCC 2021 and has many wondering about the cast of the new series, where it fits into the timeline of the movies, and what the storyline might be.
Loosely adapted from the Philip K. Dick sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? the original Blade Runner was a financial flop when first released in 1982. Despite this, the film developed a cult following, and director Ridley Scott was allowed to re-edit the film several times after feuding with the studio over the initial editing, releasing several cuts of the film beyond the original theatrical release. The film's setting has inspired a number of spin-offs, including an adventure game set during the events of the original film and a line of comics further developing the neo-Noir setting.
While the 2017 sequel Blade Runner 2049 was also a bomb, the Blade Runner setting continues to inspire other creative souls to expand upon the world in other media. Blade Runner: Black Lotus is a prime example of this, being the first animated series set in the Blade Runner universe. It is not, however, the first time a Blade Runner story has been presented in an animated format, with Crunchyroll having previously produced three short anime prequel films that set up the story of Blade Runner 2049.
Where Blade Runner: Black Lotus Fits Into The Blade Runner Timeline
Blade Runner: Black Lotus is set in the year 2032, firmly between the events of the two Blade Runner movies, which were set in 2019 and 2049 respectively. It will be interesting to see if the series utilizes the same continuity created for Titan Comics' line of Blade Runner comics, which is considered canon to the films since it was co-written by Michael Green, who was also the co-writer of Blade Runner 2049's screenplay and the writer of two of the three Blade Runner animated short films. Many of the comics produced by Titan Comics were also set between the two films and made use of characters who later showed up in Blade Runner 2049. They also made reference to events that occurred in the animated short films, such as a terrorist attack on the Tyrell Corporation in 2022, which erased all the records they had on existing Replicants.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus Cast
The English voice cast for Blade Runner: Black Lotus includes a number of impressive actors. Leading the list is Jessica Henwick, who is also signed to star in the long-awaited fourth Matrix film and Knives Out 2. Henwick will be playing Elle, a female Replicant living on Earth in the aftermath of the collapse of the Tyrell Corporation one decade earlier. The cast also includes Stephen Root (Bill on King of the Hill) as the LAPD Chief of Police Earl Grant, Peyton List (Tory on Cobra Kai) as his wife, Josephine Grant, Succession star Brian Cox as Wallace Corporation CEO Niander Wallace, Sr., and Yellowstone actor Wes Bentley as his son, Niander Wallace, Jr.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus Story Details
The story of Blade Runner: Black Lotus is being kept largely under wraps. The only solid detail is that Elle is "a female replicant created for a secret and unknown purpose." This could mean nearly anything, but with a cast of characters including the elites of Los Angeles society, rookie and veteran Blade Runners and black marketers operating out of a junkyard, it promises to be interesting and will likely examine multiple facets of the Blade Runner setting.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus Release Date
There has not been an official release date for Blade Runner: Black Lotus at this time. It is known that it will run for 13 episodes and that it will premiere on Adult Swim in the United States sometime in the Fall of 2021. The series is being produced with English and Japanese voice casts, though it is unknown if sub/dub options will be available for anime fans viewing the show online through Crunchyroll or the Adult Swim app.