While many film fans think of the “Blade Runner” franchise in terms of the two feature films, “Blade Runner” and its sequel ‘2049,’ the cyberpunk story stretches through various novels, comics, short films, and an upcoming TV series, titled ‘Black Lotus.’ And because of this, Alcon Entertainment, the studio that owns the rights to the sci-fi franchise, has hired two people that have perhaps the best job in all of Hollywood—they are the timekeepers of “Blade Runner.”
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According to a discussion at this year’s TCA event promoting the upcoming ‘Black Lotus’ (via The Wrap), Alcon Entertainment’s co-founder and co-CEO, Andrew Kosgrove, talked about how the studio is able to keep all the continuity in the “Blade Runner” franchise in order. Well, the answer is that there are two people that serve as stewards of the timeline, making sure everything works together.
“We have two people who work for us at Alcon whose — I wouldn’t say it’s their full-time job, [but] it’s the majority of their job,” Kosgrove said. “[They take it] really seriously, interweaving the different stories and making sure the timelines, the canon, the character motivations are all seamless and have a logic within the canon.”
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He added, “Our goal at Alcon, because we’re the keeper of the ‘Blade Runner’ IP, and therefore we take the canon of the franchise very seriously, because the fans, of which there are so many, have invested so much of themselves in the material.”
Right now, on the film side of things, it doesn’t seem like there’s much to keep track of, as Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049” wasn’t a massive financial hit. However, with Adult Swim/Crunchyroll’s upcoming animated series, ‘Black Lotus,’ there is still plenty of “Blade Runner” storytelling to be seen. And for those wondering what the new series is going to be like, and where it fits in the sacred timeline, Kosgrover gives an overview.
“This is occurred after the blackout, if you remember, from ‘2049,’ the blackout is a key story point. So this has occurred post-blackout,” he explained. “It’s occurred at the point at which replicants have been banned… And the Tyrell Corporation is in trouble. But of course, we have the new version of the Tyrell Corporation, which is coming along with a new version of replicants… The timeline falls about halfway between the end of the first ‘Blade Runner’ and the start of a ‘2049.’ So we’re right in sort of that midway point where the character that, of course, Jared Leto plays in our movie, is coming into prominence and bringing his vision of what replicants can be to the world. But there is a lot of politics behind the scenes. And, of course, the character of Elle is wrapped up in that.”
“Blade Runner: Black Lotus” features both Japanese and English voice work, with the English dub starring Jessica Henwick, Samira Wiley, Brian Cox, Josh Duhamel, Wes Bentley, Peyton List, and more. The series is expected to premiere before the end of 2021.