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. 1982’s Blade Runner was originally based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 sci-fi novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?” The franchise has since expanded to include 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.
The most popular way to watch Blade Runner and its related media is in order of release. 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 — a sequel to 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.
When watching Blade Runner in chronological order, finding the starting point is incredibly simple, as there has yet to be a prequel made to the original film.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.
Blade Runner 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.
Following the original 1982 movie, the Blade Runner franchise in chronological order begins to wildly deviate from the order of release. 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 (meaning it’s set, as the title suggests, in 2022) and follows a replicant uprising. In particular, the film follows Trixie, a replicant woman is saved by a replicant ex-solider named Iggy.
Iggy brings Trixie 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. Blade Runner is relatively unique as a franchise for how many short films it contains, and though it has a short runtime, Blade Runner Black Out 2022 fleshes out a significant amount of in-universe lore.
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, as both Niander Wallace Jr. and Niander Wallace Sr. are integral characters. It is set in the futuristic alternate Los Angeles of 2032, and the cast includes a few notable names like Brian Cox, Samira Wiley, and Jessica Henwick. Ultimately, this series had 13 episodes, and once again, gave context to what happened between Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049.
One of the most intriguing entries in the Blade Runner franchise is Soldier, which has a debated place in the timeline since some don’t consider it canon, whereas others regard it to be an essential part of it. 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.
The next project in the Blade Runner timeline is another short film, this one set during the same year as Soldier and four years after the last officially canon entry, Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Though Soldier takes the Blade Runner franchise on a brief detour outside the main plot, 2036: Nexus Dawn brings the story back. This film comes 13 years before the events of Blade Runner 2049 in 2036.
2036: Nexus Dawn follows Niander Wallace, who is meeting with lawmakers to convince them that his new replicant model will work. 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.
Next in the Blade Runner chronological watch order is another short film, this one directly feeding into the first feature-length followup to the 1982 original, Blade Runner 2049. 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, 2048: Nowhere to Run 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 adverse to confrontation, but when he is forced to his limits, his true nature becomes clear.
The final Blade Runner movie in the franchise timeline is Blade Runner 2049, which is set a full 30 years after the 1982 original. 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.
While Blade Runner 2049 didn’t have the same cultural impact of the original, it was still steeped in the same heavy sci-fi that made the rest of the franchise so popular among fans. 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.