Alcon Media Group and London-based Titan Publishing, a leading force in genre and pop culture publishing, are partnering in a new co-publishing venture initially focused on the Blade Runner universe.
In a joint statement by Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, and Titan’s co-founders, Nick Landau and Vivian Cheung, the partners stated that the companies will develop and publish a variety of both fiction and non-fiction print media. 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.
Editorial duties will be handled by Titan’s David Manley-Leach, and Alcon’s director of publishing, Jeff Conner.
States Kosove and Johnson, “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.”
“We are extremely excited to be publishing Blade Runner comics and illustrated books,” said 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.”
Titan has a three-decade history of success in the pop culture sphere, from their celebrated Doctor Who publications (comics, magazines, and books) to tie-in novels set in the Marvel and DC universes. They also release a robust line of original genre novels, from hardboiled crime to supernatural horror, cyberpunk to intergalactic adventure.
From Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Blade Runner 2049 stars Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Harrison Ford (Star Wars franchise, Witness), Ana de Armas (War Dogs), Sylvia Hoeks (Renegades), Robin Wright (Wonder Woman), Mackenzie Davis (The Martian), Carla Juri (Brimstone), and Lennie James (The Walking Dead), with Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy franchise) and Oscar-winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club).
Blade Runner 2049 was produced by Oscar nominees Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson (The Blind Side) and Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Yorkin. Ridley Scott, who directed the first Blade Runner, served as an executive producer, together with Tim Gamble, Frank Giustra, Yale Badick, Val Hill, and Bill Carraro.
Denis Villeneuve directed the film from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, with a story by Fancher based on characters from the popular science fiction novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick.
Blade Runner 2049 was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two Oscars: Best Cinematography for Roger Deakins and Best Visual Effects for John Nelson.
ABOUT ALCON MEDIA GROUP
Co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson founded Alcon Entertainment in 1997 with partner Frederick W. Smith, the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FedEx. Warner Bros. distributes Alcon’s motion pictures via the companies’ long-term output distribution agreement.
Alcon’s recent films include Blade Runner 2049, the critically acclaimed drama starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford that won 2 Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects and received an additional 3 nominations; and the contemporary war drama 12 Strong, a co-production with Jerry Bruckheimer and Black Label Media starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, and Michael Peña.
Alcon has financed and produced, and/or co-financed/produced 34 films to date including the Academy Award nominated Best Picture The Blind Side, which earned Sandra Bullock a Best Actress Oscar; The Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman; Insomnia, starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank and directed by Chris Nolan; The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; P.S. I Love You starring Hilary Swank; the critically acclaimed dramatic thriller Prisoners directed by Denis Villeneuve starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Terrence Howard and Paul Dano; and the family hit Dolphin Tale 2, a sequel to its original starring Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson.
In 2015 Alcon created the subdivision Alcon Television Group which has several on-air and upcoming projects including The Expanse, the critically acclaimed space thriller which returned to SYFY for its 3rd season in April and was picked up by Amazon for seasons 4 and 5; and the children’s animated series Pete the Cat, a co-production with Amazon Studios set to premier on the streaming service in 2018. Alcon Television Group’s past projects include the Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated HBO four-part documentary The Defiant Ones which chronicled the divergent roots and unlikely partnership of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine; Amazon’s animated holiday special Pete The Cat: A Groovy New Year starring Elvis Costello and Jacob Tremblay; and the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney which remains one of HBO’s most successful shows in the 50+ demographic.
