TRAILER – CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS 2
This week, to much excitement, the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 trailer was released. The first season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners debuted on Netflix in September of 2022, and it has been a long wait for season 2. The wait, however, is almost over. With the release of the trailer, CD Projekt revealed the premiere date for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 will be this Autumn/Fall, on Netflix.
As has been suspected for a while, Season 2 will not be a continuation of the story from the first season (and the few surviving characters), and will instead focus on a new cast of characters. CD Projekt Red have been revealing characters one by one at @edgerunners social media accounts, and at www.cyberpunk.net so be sure to check them out on your platform of choice, and for future updates.
The new season, as you might expect if you are a fan of the first season, looks frenetic, action packed, and brutal. There was plenty of blood on show in the trailer, along with moody visuals, colourful outfits, and a good look at those new characters in action. The first episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 was screened at Anime Expo 2026 in L.A. this week, on July 3rd, so keep an eye out on socials for reactions to that. The series is directed by Kai Ikarashi, with character designs by Ichigo Kanno and a story written by Bartosz Sztybor of CD PROJEKT RED and Masahiko Otsuka.
EVENT – ANIME EXPO 2026
Image Attribution – By Cbl62 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=179624111
There was a great deal of excitement in California this week, as Anime Expo 2026 began, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Running from Thursday July 2nd to Sunday July 5th, 2026, the expo is celebrating its historic 35th year. The event is so big this year, that it is being held in multiple venues, including the Crypto.com Arena, The Novo, and L.A. LIVE. Anime Expo is hosted by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). There is sure to be a lot of Cyberstopian media present at the expo, but there are two IPs that will really stand out this year.
The 1st episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 had its world premiere at Anime Expo, at a special panel on July 3rd.
The new Ghost in the Shell series had its North American premiere at Anime Expo. We here in the UK have already had an opportunity to watch the first two episodes, but some of the lucky attendees of the expo watched a screening of Episodes 1 and 2 on Saturday, July 4, which included an exclusive Q&A panel with director Mokochan, character designer Shuhei Handa, and animation producer Shuhei Shindo. There was also be a dedicated Ghost in the Shell exhibition at the Bandai Namco Filmworks booth.
The new animated series is produced by Science SARU, based on Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga series, which was first brought to the screen in Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 animated movie. This new animation, written by EnJoe Toh and directed by Mokochan, is hand drawn, and based on reaction to the first two episodes, the series is a committed adaptation of the original manga, closer than the movie both visually and tonally.
Ghost in the Shell premieres globally on Prime Video on July 7, 2026. The latest trailer is available below.
TRAILER – AKIRA 4K IMAX RE-RELEASE
Acclaimed 1988 animated cyberpunk movie Akira, Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, based on his own 1982 manga, is being released in North America in IMAX and 4K in selected theatres on September 4th. The re-release will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles, and an English dub.
Akira follows teenage biker gang members Shotaro Kaneda, and Tetsuo. After a collison with a government experiment, Tetsuo begins to develop telekinetic powers, and in attempting to prove his superiority, becomes a danger not just to himself, but the whole metropolis of Neo-Tokyo.
You can enjoy the re-release trailer here
TRAILER – MANA RUNNER PC GAME
If you’re a fan of beautiful visuals, combined with a dark, moody cyberpunk setting, Radical Pixel Games currently have a Kickstarter running for their next videogame for PC Steam, Mana Runner. A cyberpunk action RPG, Mana Runner looks very much influenced by a cyberpunk touchstone here in the Cyberstopia bunker, the 1993 SNES Shadowrun videogame, developed by Beam Software and released by FASA.
Mana Runner promises real-time combat, with running, shooting, and rolling mechanics designed to give you a choice of strategies whilst under heavy gunfire. There are multiple playable characters, each with unique personality, and their own specialist combat skills and abilities. Players of Mana Runner can enjoy character progression and up-gradable gear, along with magic use and fantasy creatures like elves and half orcs.
Set in an alternate history 1997 New Orleans, you can expect around 15-25 hours, played over a number of Distinct locations, all in atmospheric cyberpunk pixel art environments, reminiscent of Bladerunner. The screenshots are beautiful, with fantastic background detail that make each location look like authentic, lived in cyberpunk settings.
Jamie, the developer of Mana Runner, is no stranger to successful Kickstarter projects, having previously funded and fulfilled another turn-based RPG for PC Steam, Seed of Pandora: Legend of the Gaia Tree.
There is now less than a week left to fund this project, as it is due to end on Friday 10th July. If you’re a fan of the 90s Shadowrun games, retrogames, pixel art, or deep and engaging action RPGs, you don’t want to miss out. You can check out all the details at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/radicalpixelgames/mana-runner-pc-steam
BOOK – DEAD BUT DREAMING OF ELECTRIC SHEEP
This week saw the UK release of near-future sci-fi/psychological horror Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep, written by Paul Tremblay, published by William Morrow & Company in the US, and Bloomsbury Publishing in the UK and internationally.
Julia Flang, a twenty-something former semi-professional gamer takes on a rather random job: Julia must accompany a man she calls Bernie across the US Why? Because Bernie is in a vegetative state, his mind trapped in an AI construct. Using a specialized controller, Julia literally has to maneuver Bernie’s physical body along their journey, whilst Bernie undergoes his own mental journey.
Dead But Dreaming.. is a curious mixture of buddy road comedy, and existential horror. Whilst Julia’s struggles initially revolve around maneuvering her charge around the country, Weekend at Bernie’s style, Bernie’s own are much darker and frightening, mentally cast adrift within an artificial environment that he can’t quite grasp or understand.
Paraphrasing the title of Philip K. Dick’s iconic novel is certainly bold, but fear not, Tremblay is attempting to innovate, not imitate. Dead But Dreaming… has a unique dual perspective, and the narrative choice he has made is certainly clever in terms of thrusting the reader into the more horrific elements of the story. Playing on the title of Dick’s novel seems more a clever way of drawing the attention of the novel’s target audience than it is an attempt to retell a similar story. The book is very clearly a statement against the rise and proliferation of AI, and a very timely one at that.
Tremblay’s previous work includes A Head Full of Ghosts, The Pallbearers Club, Horror Movie, and The Cabin at the End of the World, which was adapted into the 2023 M. Night Shyamalan film Knock at the Cabin. We see a lot of cinematic opportunity with this latest novel, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it was adapted at some point.
You can find out more about Paul Tremblay on his website, www.paultremblay.net, and Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep is available in hardback from all good book retailers now, and in digital format.
COMIC – BLADE RUNNER: TOKYO NEXUS: TO LOSE IS TO WIN #3
Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Was obviously the basis for the Blade Runner movie, turned franchise, and this week saw the release of Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3. Writer Nancy A. Collins and artist Mariano Taibo combine on this third issue of four, published by Titan Comics. The issues have been published month on month, with the fourth and final part due on 12th August.
From the publisher –
Blade Runner Rumiko’s search for the Aurora tech stolen by Stix and Mead during their failed Kalathia mission has brought her to Omiya, where on the snow lined Shiwa Shrine Road, she finds herself facing off against its deadly guardian in a samurai duel to the death. Meanwhile back in Tokyo, Mead has discovered what killed Miyuki Nomura and its implications threaten to expose a conspiracy at the heart of the ruling Yakuzi family.
Titan Comics’ series of Blade Runner comics has been keeping the franchise alive since their first series, Blade Runner 2019, was published in, yes, 2019. Set in the same canon as the 1982 Blade Runner movie, and Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049. The future of the franchise is looking healthy, with several more Blade Runner comics on Titan Comics’ slate, including a collected volume of issues 1-4 of Blade Runner Black Lotus: Las Vegas due next month, 4th August. There is also a TV series, Blade Runner 2099, heading to Amazon Prime Video, which is expected to premiere in 2027.
https://titan-comics.com/comics/2483-blade-runner-tokyo-nexus-to-lose-is-to-win
SHORT FILM – BOT OR NOT
Continuing the theme of androids indiscernible from humans, this past week, Bot or Not, the award winning short film was released on YouTube.
Bot or Not is executive produced, written, stars, and is the directorial debut of Meghan Carrasquillo, with Jadon Cal Fitzpatrick (STREAM, Off Rip) serving as Co-Director and Producer, while also starring in the dual roles of Aiden S1 and Aiden S2. The film follows Carrasquillo’s character, Juliet, as she takes part in a TV dating show called Bot or Not. The show follows contestants as they date two versions of the same person, one a bot, and one not. At the end of the series of dates, the contestant has to declare which one she believes to be the real human. Bot or Not, whilst a science fiction creation, is very in keeping with some of the reality dating shows we have seen in recent times, like Love is Blind, Married at First Sight, and extreme shows like Naked Attraction. This means the story remains very relatable, whilst covering speculative subject matter.
The film is a very timely look at identity, and how we navigate relationships, relying on our own wits and experience to determine what to believe, and what not to. There are myriad dating apps, and other ways to meet online, and much like the gameshow in the film, it’s very difficult to know who you’re really talking to, whether they be a bot, a decent human being, or something worse. Again, unlike some of the more fantastical movies about artificial intelligence and robots, Bot or Not tackles the threat of AI in a much more relatable way. We’ve all been duped by fake news, pictures, and even video on the internet. Would you stake your life on being able to tell the difference?
Bot or Not was the winner of the category Best Sci-Fi at the Lois Weber International Film Festival 2026, and has received several other award nominations. The team are working on getting it made as a feature film, and you can register your interest at www.botornotmovie.com.
You can watch the film, for free, on YouTube below –
REWIND – TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY
Fear of AI and robots is not a new thing. 35 years ago, a movie was released in theatres that many still believe to be the greatest blockbuster of all time. At the time the most expensive movie ever made, it had a story and special effects that blew the minds of its 1990’s audience. On 3rd July 1991, Terminator 2: Judgement Day arrived.
The original 1984 Terminator was made on a relatively small budget, and became a surprise massive hit. A sequel, in the 1980’s landscape, was inevitable. Where the first movie had some impressive effects for its time and the money spent, Director James Cameron, armed with a much larger budget, was able to approach the sequel with greater ambition. Ground breaking special effects, a thrilling story, and frenetic action blew audiences away, and Cameron once again defied box office expectations. Against that record $102m budget, the movie drew a monumental $520m worldwide.
Terminator 2 in many ways is an expensive remake of the first movie. The structure of the plot is basically the same, and some scenes almost mirror scenes from the original. Rather than stray away from the winning formula of the original, Cameron chose to instead dial everything up. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), in the original movie a waitress living a regular life and struggling day to day to get by, has been fundamentally changed by the traumatic events that occurred when the first Terminator was sent back to kill her. Since the events of the previous film, she has given birth to the leader of the human uprising, John Connor (Edward Furlong), attempted to prepare him for what is to come, and been committed to a mental ward, as everyone, including her own son, thinks she is insane. When a new Terminator, a T-1000 played by Robert Patrick, is sent back in time, this time to kill her son, she is vindicated, but has little time to enjoy it, as with the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, Sarah and John must run for their lives, relying on Sarah’s years of preparations to help them.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day succeeds by expanding the world, and fleshing out the details of judgement day. What really elevates it, though, is the addition of the missing blockbuster ingredient. Humour. The script for T2 brings the one liners that Arnold became famous for, and he showed that he was more than up to the task, showing a remarkable talent for comic delivery and timing. While the action scenes and dramatic tension draw the attention, without that humour it’s unlikely Terminator 2 would be as revered.
Much like the T-1000, the Terminator franchise has been relentless. Since Terminator 2, there have been four subsequent movies, including the direct threequel, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as well as attempts to change course with Terminator Salvation (2009), and Terminator Genisys (2015), before returning to movie canon with 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate. There was also a TV series in 2008, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and more recently a cartoon, 2024’s well received Terminator Zero. None of these new projects, however, have been able to match T2, and have in fact paled in comparison.
Terminator 2 won four Oscars, for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Make-up. It brought to the screen innovative CGI effects courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic, and was unique in that it had the first main character to be partially rendered by CGI. It is arguably James Cameron’s greatest film, and it cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger as a major Hollywood star, going from villain with a handful of lines in the first movie, to the star turn of the second.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day has had a number of cinematic showings this year to celebrate its 35th anniversary, with more to come. There doesn’t seem to be a specific campaign, however, so you’ll need to check your local listings for showings.
TV – SILO SEASON 3
Nowadays, of course, we have high budget, high quality sci-fi on the small screen as well as in theatres. This week sees the return of the critically acclaimed Apple TV sci-fi series Silo, with its third season, continuing the story of a dystopian society surviving deep underground. Created and executive produced by Graham Yost, the series is an Apple Studios and AMC Studios collaboration, based on the bestselling dystopian novel trilogy by Hugh Howey. Silo stars Rebecca Ferguson, as engineer Juliette Nichols, and she serves as an executive producer. The series also stars Steve Zahn, Common, Harriet Walter, Alexandria Riley, and Chinaza Uche.
Season Three follows on from the major events at the end of Season Two, where a silo erupted into rebellion, and Juliette almost met her end. The final episode also introduced a second timeline into the mix – before we left the series, new characters Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman) and Helen Drew (Jessica Henwick) were seen discussing the beginnings of what might be a political conspiracy.
Critics and audiences alike responded positively to the second season, and it has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have had to wait patiently for Season Three, the previous season having ended some 18 months ago. Fans are surely hoping the new series will continue to provide answers to the questions asked over the course of the first two seasons, whilst revealing a lot more of the second, historical timeline.
Silo Season Three will be ten episodes long, with a weekly release schedule rather than a full-season drop, allowing the audience plenty of time between episodes to speculate and discuss the ongoing story. Episodes will air every Friday. You can watch the new season, and catch up on the previous seasons’ episodes, via Apple TV on Apple devices, smart TVs, gaming consoles, but only with an Apple TV+ subscription.
To whet your appetite, the trailer can be seen here –
TEASER TRAILER – NEUROMANCER
We’re hoping Apple TV’s track record of quality sci-fi series continues, as Apple released a teaser ‘trailer’ for their upcoming adaptation of William Gibson’s seminal 1984 Cyberpunk masterpiece, Neuromancer. The clip they put out didn’t reveal anything about the show, but as we couldn’t even quite believe the show was actually happening, we were grateful for the confirmation!
Neuromancer is a very important cyberpunk touchstone for us here in the bunker, and the release of the clip gives us a chance to show off the German edition of the novel we have sitting around down here in the bunker. Which none of us can read. Whilst Gibson’s novel didn’t introduce the word Cyberpunk, he is definitely considered one of its founding fathers.
The teaser Apple released was simply the iconic opening line of the novel on a TV screen, before it disappeared into static. It doesn’t tell us anything about the show, but it does suggest the showrunners appreciate some of the things that make the book so revered. A Neuromancer adaptation has been a long time coming. Director Vincenzo Natali was very close, his project spending a number of years in development. He even had author Gibson’s approval and a budget, but sadly, the project was ultimately abandoned.
Neuromance has often been called unfilmable. A lot of the greatness of Neuromancer is in its distinct prose, and we’re not sure how that will be translated to the screen effectively. To really do the property justice, it was always going to take a fair amount of money, and the one thing Apple has shown in the past with their sci-fi series is a willingness to spend that money. As their Silo adaptation shows, returning today with season 3, they are capable of taking acclaimed novels, and putting out a high quality show. We can only hope the same happens for Neuromancer.
Apple TV’s Neuromancer is co-created by Graham Roland, who serves as showrunner, and JD Dillard, who is directing the pilot. It stars, amongst others, Callum Turner, Briana Middleton, Dane DeHaan, Mark Strong, and Peter Sarsgaard. A release date has so far not been announced.
PODCAST – HOST IN THE SHELL EPISODE 58 ELYSIUM
The latest episode of Hosts in the Shell is available now. This week, hosts Jon Richter and Matt Adcock are joined by cyberpunk author Phil Stitelmann to talk about Neill Blomkamp’s 2013 dystopian action film Elysium, starring Matt Damon. Elysium somehow manages to hit every single element of Cyberstopia, but is it any good?
The Hosts in the Shell podcast is a cyberpunk podcast where Jon and Matt discuss the genre’s greatest work, often alongside a notable guest, and they have over 50 episodes available. You can find the Hosts in the Shell podcast at the link below, and all good podcast platforms.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1930485/episodes/19442671
As well as being podcasters, Jon and Matt are also authors with cyberpunk related titles amongst their novels.
You can find out more about Jon’s work here – https://www.jon-richter.com
You can find out more about Matt’s work here – www.completedarknessnovel.com/
CYBERSTOPIA
For more of the latest news on cyberpunk and dystopia media, stay tuned to Cyberstopia here on Substack, and across social media. If you have a Cyberstopian project or release, or there’s something you think we should be covering, please let us know here in the comments, or on your social media platform of choice.
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