Are there any fans of Blade Runner out there? Crunchyroll and Adult Swim revealed the characters and all-star cast of the much-anticipated animated series, BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS. The new series is inspired by the award-winning and critically-lauded Blade Runner movie franchise. A first look at the new series will debut at San Diego Comic-Con at Home 2021 panel. The panel will be jointly hosted by Adult Swim and Crunchyroll online on Friday, July 23rd.

All we know so far is the series will take place in 2032 after the “Black Out,” and will follow a female replicant protagonist. For a little insight on the vision of BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS, check out this exclusive interview from Crunchyroll with the directors, Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama.

Voice Cast

Now, on to the cast reveal. The English and Japanese voice cast includes:

• Jessica Henwick / Arisa Shida will play Elle, a female replicant created for a secret and unknown purpose.
• Will Yun Lee / Shinshu Fuji will play Joseph, a mysterious figure who owns a spare parts junkyard in Los Angeles.
• Samira Wiley / Takako Honda will play Alani Davis, a fresh LAPD recruit.
• Brian Cox /  Takaya Hashi will play Niander Wallace Sr, founder, and CEO of the Wallace Corporation.
• Wes Bentley / Takehito Koyasu will play Niander Wallace Jr, a brilliant scientist working for his father.
• Josh Duhamel / Taiten Kusunoki will play Marlowe, a deadly Blade Runner.
• Peyton List / Yoshiko Sakakibara will play Josephine Grant, the wife of the police chief.
• Stephen Root / Hochu Otsuka will play Earl Grant, Police Chief of the LAPD.
• Barkhad Abdi / Takayuki Kinba will play Doc Badger, a black market dealer.
• Gregg Henry / Masane Tsukayama will play Senator Bannister, a politician with strong feelings on replicant production.
• Henry Czerny / Akio Nojima will play Doctor M, a brilliant doctor and professor of medicine.
• Jason Spisak / Kazuki Yao will play Hooper, a journalist in the pocket of the Wallace Corporation.

There are some familiar names on this list that I would not expect to see in an anime: Samira Wiley, Wes Bentley, Stephen Root, to name a few. This diverse casting tells us that the creators are willing to make bold decisions to fulfill the vision of this series. 3D CG is also a unique animation style, so I’m excited to see how they capture the Blade Runner world.

San Diego Comic-Con Panel

Starting at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Friday, July 23rd, we will hear from the creative team and voice talent. Shinji Aramaki (co-director), Kenji Kamiyama (co-director), Joseph Chou (executive producer), Wes Gleason (voice director), Jessica Henwick (voice of Elle), and Jason DeMarco (co-creator of Toonami/senior vice-president and creative director for Adult Swim/moderator) will premiere an exclusive first look at the new series at SDCC@Home.

ALSO READ—Crunchyroll Announces New Shows And Guests At V-CRX 2021!

BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS will premiere later this year on Adult Swim and will be thirteen episodes long. Alcon Entertainment and animation studio Sola Digital Arts will produce the anime, with Shinichiro Watanabe serving as a creative producer.

Adult Swim will air the English language version on the network’s popular anime programming block Toonami. Crunchyroll will stream the series in Japanese with subtitles. Both will offer the series to viewers worldwide outside of Asia. I’m really excited to check this one out. Until then, I now have an excuse to rewatch the original movie…not that I needed one.

Are you guys planning to check out BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS when it premieres? What other panels are you interested in hearing about from San Diego Comic-Con at Home 2021? Let us know in the comments below!

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