Adult Swim’s Toonami will host an anime set in the Blade Runner universe

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Just when you thought things couldn't get any better than the second season of Netflix's CASTLEVANIA, it's been announced that Adult Swim is gearing up to host BLADE RUNNER – BLACK LOTUS, a 13 half-hour episode series produced by Sola Digital Arts (ULTRAMAN). Inspired by the events of director Denis Villeneuve's BLADE RUNNER 2049, Black Lotus will reportedly take place in 2032 and will feature some familiar characters from the sought-after sci-fi universe.

Directing all of the episodes of BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS are two titans of the anime industry, Shinji Aramaki (APPLESEED) and Kenji Kamiyama (GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX). Of course, work on Black Lotus will come after the duo finish their work on the latest GHOST IN THE SHELL series reboot. Meanwhile, Shinichiro Watanabe of COWBOY BEEBOP and SAMURAI CHAMPLOO fame will serve as a creative producer. Any anime fan worth their salt will tell you that this is quite the fap-worthy team that Adult Swim, Alcon Entertainment and Crunchyroll have put together. Let the animated absurdity begin!

When BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS arrives, Adult Swim will hold the worldwide rights (exclusing Asia) to distribute the English dubbed versions of the series that will be featured as a part of the network's Toonami programming block. Crunchyroll will then host the show for their community of over 45 million registered users and 2 million subscribers. Furthermore, Alcon’s Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Laura Lancaster, Al-Francis Cuenca, and Sola Digital Art’s Joseph Chou will executive produce the project. Lastly, Alcon executive Ben Roberts will act as co-executive producer. Production IG’s Mitsuhisa Ishikawa is coming aboard as 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.”

Kosove and Johnson also added their voices to the conversation by saying, “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. 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.”

Are you ready for a BLADE RUNNER anime? Which characters would you like to see receive the animation treatment? What manner of twisted tech do you think will be running rampant as a part of the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.