‘Blade Runner’ Anime Coming to Adult Swim

After a successful anime short last year, the Blade Runner universe is going all in on the animation front. It was announced on Thursday morning that Adult Swim is producing a 13 episode anime series called Blade Runner – Black Lotus.

The series is inspired closely by the Denis Vileneuve-directed Blade Runner 2049, a long-gestated follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. 13 half-hour episodes will be brought to life by Alcon Television Group and WarnerMedia’s Adult Swim. While the popular American network will have the worldwide distribution rights for Blade Runner (except for Asia), Crunchyroll will have the global streaming rights.

Not much is known about the series yet, other than the fact that it takes place in 2032 and is set to include some familiar Blade Runner characters. Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) are directing the series, with Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop) serving as creative producer. Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Laura Lancaster, and Al-Francis Cuenca will executive produce the project, along with Sola Digital Art’s Joseph Chou. Alcon’s Ben Roberts will co-execuitve prodce and Production IG’s Mitsuhisa Ishikawa is a production advisor.

“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.”

“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,” executive producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson added. “We are excited to continue exploring that world via this anime series.”

Lancaster added, “We are thrilled to have Shinji Aramaki, Kenji Kamiyama and Shinichiro Watanabe as our creative partners and look forward to the exciting journey ahead.”

“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.”

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