‘Blade Runner’ Anime Series Set at Adult Swim, Crunchyroll

A new Blade Runner anime series called Blade Runner — Black Lotus is on the way to Adult Swim and Crunchyroll, the two companies announced on Thursday morning.

The series will be “inspired by” Blade Runner 2049, though it appears that it will follow another separate story in the larger Blade Runner universe as the series will take place in the year 2032 — 13 years after the original movie. It’s unclear exactly what characters the series might focus on, but according to a press release the series will feature some familiar characters from the Blade Runner franchise.

Black Lotus will feature 14 30-minute episodes which will air during Adult Swim’s anime-centric programming block, Toonami. The episodes will also be streamable on Crunchyroll, the popular anime streaming service.

Good News: We’re making a Blade Runner animated series. #BladeRunnerBlackLotus @crunchyroll @alconent https://t.co/xzqXHzPNcC

— [adult swim] (@adultswim) November 29, 2018

The series will be animated by Sola Digital Arts, the studio behind next year’s new Ultraman, and directed by Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama, who have formerly worked on projects like Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and are currently finishing production on their new Ghost in the Shell series. Shinichiro Watanabe, the director of shows like Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo will serve as a creative producer on the series. This isn’t the first time Watanabe has worked in the Blade Runner universe, as he directed an anime short called Black Out that served as a prequel to last year’s Blade Runner 2049.

There’s no word yet on when Blade Runner — Black Lotus will debut.