'Blade Runner' Anime Series Coming to Adult Swim

The 'Blade Runner – Black Lotus' series will include 13 episodes inspired by the Oscar-winning movie.

Blade Runner anime series
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Image via Getty/GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP

Blade Runner anime series

Adult Swim and Crunchyroll are teaming up to produce and distribute Blade Runner – Black Lotus, an animated series inspired byBlade Runner 2049.

According to Deadline, the new show will span across 13 half-hour episodes. It will reportedly take place in 2032 and include characters from the same universe as the Oscar-winning film.

“I first saw Blade Runner in 1982, at age 11. It has remained one of the defining films of my life,” said Jason DeMarco, creative director of Adult Swim. “To be able to explore more of this universe, with the incredible talent we have on board, is a dream come true.”

Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) are directing all the episodes of the premiere season, and Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo) is serving as creative producer.

Adult Swim is taking the worldwide rights (excluding Asia) to distribute the English dubbed versions of the series, and plans to air the dubbed episodes on its anime programming Toonami. Meanwhile, anime streaming site Crunchyroll will handle worldwide streaming for its over 45 million users.

“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.”

Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, came out in October 2017 as a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic. It was nominated for five Oscars and won for visual effects and cinematography.

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