BLADE RUNNER ANIME SHORT IN WORKS

Shinichiro Watanabe, director of anime classics such as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, is directing an animated short that is tied into the upcoming film Blade Runner 2049. Originally spotted by Anime News Network, Watanabe’s anime short is named Blade Runner Black Out 2022. The “2022” of the title is in reference to the year in which the story takes place. That puts the action of the film between the original Blade Runner, which takes place in 2019, and the upcoming sequel, which of course takes place in 2049. Watanabe’s anime will revolve around a massive blackout taking place along the west coast of the United States. In addition to directing, Watanabe is writing the script. The cast features Kenichirou Matsuda as Iggy, Ichigo Aoba as Trixie, and Makoto Furukawa as Ren. Sony Pictures Japan has released a short video featuring some designs and animation tests for the upcoming film, which you can watch in the video above.