Some familiar characters from the Blade Runner universe will also be featured on 'Blade Runner: Black Lotus'.
- Nov 30, 2018
AceShowbiz - "Blade Runner 2049" is coming to the small screen. WarnerMedia's Adult Swim and Crunchyroll are joining forces with Alcon Television Group, a division of Alcon Entertainment, to produce and distribute "Blade Runner: Black Lotus".
The upcoming project, based on the Oscar-winning dystopian movie, is set to feature 13 half-hour episodes hailing from animation studio Sola Digital Arts ("Ultraman").
Plot details of "Blade Runner - Black Lotus" is kept tightly under wraps. However, the producers teases that story will take place in 2032. Some familiar characters from the Blade Runner universe will also be featured on the new series.
"I first saw 'Blade Runner' in 1982, at age 11," said Jason DeMarco, SVP and creative director of Adult Swim on-air. "It has remained one of the defining films of my life. 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," Sae Whan Song, head of business development for Crunchyroll, said. "Adult Swim shares our excitement to bring this new series to fans, and we're looking forward to building on this franchise together."
"Blade Runner - Black Lotus" has tapped Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama to direct all episodes of the first season that is set to follow their current directorial work on the upcoming "Ghost in the Shell" series reboot. Shinichiro Watanabe, who served as writer and director of the anime short film "Blade Runner Black Out 2022", will be the creative producer.
Alcon's Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Laura Lancaster, Al-Francis Cuenca, and Sola Digital Art’s Joseph Chou will executive produce. Meanwhile, Alcon's Ben Roberts will serve as co-executive producer with Production IG's Mitsuhisa Ishikawa on board as production adviser.
"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," added Kosove and Johnson. "We are excited to continue exploring that world via this anime series."
Adult Swim will be distributing the English dubbed versions of the series in worldwide market (excluding Asia) as well as airing the English dubbed episodes on its popular anime programming block Toonami. Meanwhile, Crunchyroll is in charge of worldwide streaming for its community that boasts more than 45 million registered users and 2 million subscribers.
