SDCC @Home 2021–Futurism and tech noir enter a new era in first trailer for Blade Runner: Black Lotus

Some of the best dystopian futurism in years came to a conclusion this year in the pages of Titan Comics’ Blade Runner 2019, the official comic book sequel to the cult classic 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. Co-written by Michael Green, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of Logan, Blade Runner 2049, and Murder on the Orient Express, and prolific comics writer Mike Johnson (Batman, Star Trek, Transformers) with artwork from Andres Guinaldo (Nightwing, Justice League Dark), this year’s Blade Runner 2019 story arc found an ex-Blade Runner named Ash returning from the Off-World colonies to the rain-soaked future Los Angeles. A new Replicant will lead an animated series from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim this fall, taking Philip K. Dick’s Replicants into the untapped territory of the year 2032 in Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Check out the very Alita: Battle Angel-evoking series coming this fall in this first trailer, released at San Diego Comic-Con 2021 aka Comic-Con @Home this weekend:

The series stars Jessica Henwick (U.S.) and Arisa Shida (Japan) as Elle, a Replicant created for a hidden agenda who visually evokes Anna Silk in Lost Girl. Other familiar voice actors include Henry Czerny (Clear and Present Danger), Josh Duhamel (Jupiter’s Legacy), and Brian Cox (Shetland). The animated visuals look great, a blend of Syd Mead’s tech noir futurism of the movies and comics, and the updated CGI brand of Alita: Battle Angel.

Last year the Blade Runner movie franchise took fans into their past and future with the comic book series Blade Runner 2019 (review here). Both the sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and prequel to Blade Runner 2049, the series introduced a new Blade Runner, a female engineered cyborg named Ashina, or “Ash.” It continues in a series we previewed here, featuring Ash ten years later in Blade Runner 2029, coinciding with the Artist’s Edition of Blade Runner 2019: Los Angeles (previewed here).