Blade Runner: Black Lotus, the new anime series from Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, has a brand new trailer that gives us a little more information on story and its characters. The two companies released the trailer on Thursday, at New York Comic Con 2021, where they also announced that the series would premiere Nov. 13.
The trailer is the most impressive look at the show we’ve had so far. It shows off the familiar streets of Los Angeles, with all the giant neon signs and flashing video billboards we normally expect from the Blade Runner universe, along with the shaky, steam-bellowing flying cars of the later 21st century. We also got to hear from a villainous-sounding Brian Cox, who voices a character named Niander Wallace, Sr.. Wallace Sr. is the father of Jared Leto’s Niander Wallace Jr. character from 2017’s Blade Runner 2049 live-action movie. Junior also shows up in the anime series and is voiced by Wes Bentley.
Most importantly, the trailer shows off the strange life and unusual talents of the replicant Elle, who is voiced by the Matrix: Resurrections’ Jessica Henwick. Elle was built for a special purpose. In the trailer we see her fight, dream, take a Voight-Kampff test, and swear to “kill them all,” though we don’t necessarily know who she means just yet.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus runs 13 episodes and will be directed by Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex). The series will be animated by Sola Digital Arts (Ultraman 2019) and produced by Alcon Entertainment. Meanwhile, Shinichiro Watanabe, the legendary director behind series like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Carole & Tuesday, will serve as a creative producer on the series.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus will air on both Crunchyroll and Adult Swim and premieres at midnight on Nov. 13.