Blade Runner 2049 was an incredible movie, but its lackluster box office performance will make any sort of follow-up movie a difficult pitch to producers. Thankfully, fans of the iconic sci-fi franchise will be able to revisit the dystopian future of
Blade Runner through a series of new books and comics.
Alcon Media Group and London-based Titan Publishing announced today a new co-publishing venture that will focus initially on the
Blade Runner universe. The companies will develop and publish a mix of both fiction and non-fiction print media, including books, comics, and graphic novels. These will focus on both expanding upon the world and story of
Blade Runner as well as the detailing the production process in bringing to life on screen. A statement provided by Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, and Titan’s co-founders, Nick Landau and Vivian Cheung provided a bit of clarity in terms of what fans can expect from the partnership:
The program will feature new, in canon comics and graphic novels that dive deeper into the Blade Runner world as well as a variety of publications focused on the visual and technical sides of the production process.
“In partnering with the exceptional Titan Comics and Titan Books, we’re confident that the world of Blade Runner will continue to organically grow in a way that refuses to sacrifice the quality, tone and high standards of this beloved property," said Alcon's Kosove and Johnson. Editorial duties will be handled by Titan’s David Manley-Leach, and Alcon’s director of publishing, Jeff Conner.
“We are extremely excited to be publishing Blade Runner comics and illustrated books,” added Titan publishers Nick Landau and Vivian Cheung.
“The Blade Runner universe has barely been explored; there is so much more there. It’s an honour to be bringing this world to life in new ways for a new audience – and to reveal tales from that universe that you’ve never seen before.”
Loosely adapted by Philip K. Dick's novel
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner was brought to life on the big screen by director Ridley Scott. The original 1982 film starred Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a blade runner tasked with hunting a fugitive group of replicants. Though the movie underperformed at the box office, it went on to become a cult hit and is regarded as one of the all-time best science fiction movies. In 2017, director Denis Villeneuve attempted to breathe new life into the franchise with a sequel
Blade Runner 2049, which saw the return of Harrison Ford as well as the welcomed addition of Ryan Gosling. Despite positive reviews, the sequel - like its predecessor - was a box office disappointment.
Blade Runner 2049 grossed just $92 million in North America and $259 million worldwide.
Blade Runner is an incredibly rich universe and although it may never succeed on the big screen, there's no doubt it has tons of potential to exist in print form. Unfortunately, there was no mention on when we may see the first of these
Blade Runner books and comics.