Summary The Blade Runner franchise includes multiple installments and spinoffs, and there are different ways to watch them, either by release date or by chronological order of the events in the movies.
The first film, Blade Runner, was released in 1982 and is set in 2019. It follows Deckard, a blade runner who hunts down and eliminates rogue replicants, and falls in love with a replicant in the process.
Blade Runner 2049 is the most recent installment in terms of chronology, taking place in 2049. It follows K, a replicant blade runner, who uncovers secrets and goes on a mission to find a missing blade runner. Watching the franchise chronologically may provide a better understanding of the events.
Although the Blade Runner franchise may not be as vast as sci-fi properties like Star Wars, it is a unique story that stands out for its engaging premise and iconic cast members, and for those who are interested in delving into this franchise for the very first time, there is more than one way to watch each installment. Blade Runner first originated as a science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. The book was first published in 1968 and was entitled “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?” In 1982, a movie adaptation was made, and since then, a sequel, several short films, a television series, and a sidequel.
Though it is usually common for audiences to watch films in order of release date, there is actually a bit more nuance to the Blade Runner franchise. While it is entirely fine to watch by release date, there is also the factor of the timeline. Blade Runner is set in the future, and therefore, its sequels and other properties are also set in this future, but at different points. Ultimately, an audience member could watch the Blade Runner franchise not just in order of release date, but in chronological order of the movies’ events. This could certainly make for a different and potentially more interesting watch.
Related: Why Blade Runner Is Named After A Completely Different Book Than The 1968 Novel It’s Based On
Blade Runner Movies & Shows In Release Order
The most popular way to watch Blade Runner and its related media is in order of release. As previously mentioned, the first film, Blade Runner, was released in 1982 and starred Harrison Ford as Deckard, a cop living in 2019 Los Angeles that is tasked with bringing down a group of rogue replicants, otherwise known as androids. Though the original Blade Runner initially had an average performance at the box office, with critics disagreeing on the film, it ultimately became a cult classic, leading to its various sequels and spinoffs. Since 1982, Blade Runner has seen a significant amount of expansion, and it is only continuing into the future.
At this time, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner franchise has seven properties, starting with the 1982 release of Blade Runner and ending with 2021’s Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Though it cannot be included on this list yet, there have also been talks of a new Blade Runner series that is entering production called Blade Runner 2099. It is said to be a sequel of the Blade Runner sequel Blade Runner 2049. Either way, the Blade Runner franchise has grown over the years, and because of this, it is important to set the record straight on how exactly to watch these incredible sci-fi films and series.
Blade Runner (1982)
Soldier (1998)
2036: Nexus Dawn (August 2017)
2048: Nowhere To Run (September 2017)
Blade Runner Black Out 2022 (September 2017)
Blade Runner 2049 (October 2017)
Blade Runner: Black Lotus (2021)
Blade Runner Movies & Shows In Chronological Order Of Events
Blade Runner (1982)
Box Office: $41.6 million | Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
Cast: Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard), Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty), Sean Young (Rachael), Edward James Olmos (Gaff), M. Emmet Walsh (Bryant), Daryl Hannah (Pris), William Sanderson (J. F. Sebastian), Brion James (Leon Kowalski), Joe Turkel (Eldon Tyrell), Joanna Cassidy (Zhora Salome)
Blade Runner is the first film to be released in the franchise, but also comes first in regard to the franchise’s chronological order. Harrison Ford’s Blade Runner takes place in 2019, a year that has passed in the real world, and yet, seemed like a lifetime away in 1982. The film follows Deckard, a man who works as a “blade runner,” who tracks down and kills replicants in order to “retire” them. When Deckard is put on the case of four rogue replicants, it should be a simple task, however Deckard must face the reality of his job and himself when he falls in love with a replicant.
Blade Runner Black Out 2022 (2017)
Box Office: None | Runtime: 15 minutes
Cast: Jovan Jackson (Iggy Cygnus), Luci Christian (Trixie), Bryson Baugus (Ren), Edward James Olmos (Gaff)
The next installment to come in the Blade Runner timeline is the animated short film Blade Runner Black Out 2022. This movie takes place three years after the events of the first Blade Runner, and follows a replicant uprising. In particular, the film follows Trixie, a replicant woman is saved by a replicant ex-solider named Iggy. He brings her into the world of the replicant resistance, and together, the replicants plan an attack on Tyrell Corporation so that violence against and control of replicants will end. Though it has a short runtime, Blade Runner Black Out 2022 gives important backstory to the overall Blade Runner franchise.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus (2021)
Episodes: 13 | Runtime: 22 minutes
Cast: Jessica Henwick (Elle), Will Yun Lee (Joseph), Samira Wiley (Alani Davis), Wes Bentley (Niander Wallace Jr.), Brian Box (Niander Wallace Sr.), Josh Duhamel (Marlowe), Peyton List (Josephine Grant), Stephen Root (Earl Grant), Barkhad Abdi (Doc Badger), Gregg Henry (Senator Bannister), Henry Czerny (Doctor M), Jason Spisak (Hooper), Alessia Cara (Selene)
The Blade Runner timeline then jumps ten years to 2032 with Blade Runner: Black Lotus. This animated television series was released by Adult Swim and Crunchyroll in 2021, making it the most recent iteration of the Blade Runner franchise. Black Lotus follows the wide-spanning aftereffects of the revolution that took place in Blade Runner Black Out 2022. The show notably follows a female replicant protagonist, and furthermore, includes some familiar faces from the Blade Runner franchise such as the Wallaces. Ultimately, this series had 13 episodes, and once again, gave context to what happened between Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049.
Soldier (1998)
Box Office: $14.6 million | Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
Cast: Kurt Russell (Sergeant Todd “3465”), Jason Scott Lee (Caine 607), Jason Isaacs (Colonel Mekum), Connie Nielsen (Sandra), Sean Pertwee (Mace), Jared & Taylor Thorne (Nathan), Gary Busey (Captain Church)
Soldier is a 1998 film that is a “sidequel” to Blade Runner, and which tells the story of a man named Todd who was raised from infancy to be a killing machine, only to find himself replaced by bioengineered soldiers. Discarded on a different planet in the year 2036, Todd must get his bearings and prepare to face his replacements in an all-out war. Ultimately, Soldier didn’t succeed at the box office, but it still has the makings of a Blade Runner movie. First and foremost, it was written by Blade Runner co-writer, David Peoples, and furthermore, it is said to share the same universe as Blade Runner.
2036: Nexus Dawn (2017)
Box Office: None | Runtime: 6 minutes
Cast: Jared Leto (Niander Wallace), Benedict Wong (Lawmaker), Ned Dennehy (Lawmaker No. 2), Ade Sapara (Lawmaker No. 3), Ania Marson (Lawmaker No. 4)
Though Soldier takes the Blade Runner franchise on a brief detour outside the main plot, 2036: Nexus Dawn brings the story back. In particular, 2036: Nexus Dawn follows Niander Wallace, who is meeting with lawmakers to convince them that his new replicant model will work. This film comes 13 years before the events of Blade Runner 2049 in 2036. Significantly, Wallace appears earlier in the franchise in Blade Runner: Black Lotus as a scientist working for his father, the owner of Wallace Corporation, which takes over replicant processing after the fall of Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner Black Out 2022. Ultimately, the movies begin to form a cohesive timeline.
2048: Nowhere to Run (2017)
Box Office: None | Runtime: 6 minutes
Cast: Dave Bautista (Sapper Morton), Gerard Miller (Salt), Gaia Ottman (Ella)
The final Blade Runner short film takes place in 2048 and is aptly called 2048: Nowhere to Run. This is the last film to take place between Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049. Once again, though it has a short run time of 6 minutes, this movie makes an impact. Plus, unlike the other Blade Runner short films, it does not expand on the given plot as much as it gives a peek into a related but separate story. 2048: Nowhere to Run follows a man named Sapper who appears kind-hearted and nonconfrontational, but when he is forced to his limits, his true nature becomes clear.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Box Office: $267.7 million | Runtime: 2 hours 43 minutes
Cast: Ryan Gosling (K/Joe), Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard), Ana De Armas (Joi), Sylvia Hoeks (Luv), Robin Wright (Lt. Joshi), Mackenzie Davis (Mariette), Carla Juri (Dr. Ana Stelline), Dave Bautista (Sapper Morton), Jared Leto (Niander Wallace), Edward James Olmos (Gaff)
The final Blade Runner movie on the franchise timeline is Blade Runner 2049. Although this is not the most recent installment in the franchise, it is the most recent in terms of chronology, as it takes place in 2049. Blade Runner 2049 follows K, a replicant and blade runner who unearths some major secrets, and a result, goes on a mission to find a missing blade runner. With the help of the Blade Runner short films, the events of Blade Runner 2049 make total sense, as audiences can see how Wallace rose to power and how the replicants developed over time. Perhaps, watching chronologically is the best way to go.