As much as the “Blade Runner” franchise has proven to be a bit of box office poison, film fans have enjoyed both cyberpunk installments (well, depending on which version of Ridley Scott’s original film you’re talking about, of course). So, even though the idea of a “Blade Runner” spinoff animated series produced by Adult Swim might sound confusing on paper, the result— “Blade Runner: Black Lotus”—seems like it will actually be a worthy entry in the cyberpunk franchise, if the trailer is anything to judge by.
As seen in the trailer for “Blade Runner: Black Lotus,” the series takes place in-between the original “Blade Runner” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner: 2049.” The story, once again, focuses on the idea of humanity creating replicants and how that might affect society. That is to say, creating replicants leads to all sorts of philosophical and human rights debates. Yes, ‘Black Lotus’ is an animated series, but the CGI actually fits pretty well with what has been established in the franchise previously, even if the characters do look cartoon-ish. All told, it’s somewhat surprising that Adult Swim and Crunchyroll have put together what looks like an adult, dramatic, and interesting spinoff of a complicated franchise.
On top of having beautiful animation and a story that seems fun and interesting, ‘Black Lotus’ also has a great vocal cast. The ensemble is led by Jessica Henwick and also includes Samira Wiley, Brian Cox, Josh Duhamel, Peyton List, Stephen Root, Wes Bentley, and Will Yun Lee. And for fans of animation, you’ll be happy to know that legendary Japanese anime creator, Shinichirō Watanabe (of “Cowboy Bebop” fame), is on board as a producer.
“Blade Runner: Black Lotus” is set to debut on Adult Swim on November 14. You can watch the trailer below.
