Anime writer/director Shinichirō Watanabe, of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo fame, has released a new prequel short to director Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Blade Runner 2049 film, the highly-anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner. Watanbe’s short, Blade Runner Black Out 2022, lasts roughly 10 minutes and takes place in the time between the original film (the year 2019) and the new film. It also, as was previously reported, features a score from Flying Lotus. Music by Miguel Atwood Ferguson and Kuedo is also included in the clip.
Previously, a live-action short called 2036: Nexus Dawn, directed by Luke Scott, was released to fill in the Blade Runner mythology. Watch Watanbe’s anime short here, with an introduction by Villeneuve himself; the preview for the film is below. Blade Runner 2049 is out October 6.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=OD0RCfcaols
