Netflix announced a new show based on the Castlevania video game franchise is coming to the streaming platform in 2017. Producer Adi Shankar confirmed the news via Facebook, saying season 2 will premiere in 2018.
The project has been under development for over a decade by Frederator Studios, a production company founded by Fred Seibert. He is also an executive producer on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time.
Now, Season 1, Part 1 of the show will air on Netflix later this year. The streaming giant has yet to disclose a specific release date. There is also no information available about the cast.
The series will be based on ‘Castlevania III’
While Netflix has confirmed the adaptation just now, producer Adi Shankar had talked about the project before. Two years ago, he spoke with Collider about the project and said the series would adapt ‘Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse.’
The third title of the franchise launched nearly 30 years ago in Japan and North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was the first game to feature Alucard, Dracula’s son and ally to the crusade against vampires.
‘Castlevania III’ had Trevor Belmont as the main character. One of the last members of the legendary Belmont family, the vampire hunter is the wielder of the mythical Vampire Killing Whip.
Netflix’s Castlevania will be dark and gritty
Back in 2015, when the first details about the series became public, Shankar described it as “super violent,” “dark,” and “satirical.” While the first two adjectives match Castlevania.
“I’M PERSONALLY GUARANTEEING THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST F***ING VIDEO GAME ADAPTATION EVER MADE TO DATE. I’VE SEEN IT, AND IT’S F***ING AMAZING,” he said in a more recent interview with Collider.
The producer also gave some more details about tone and style of the upcoming show, saying it has a “Game of Thrones vibe” and that it will be “super-R-rated.”
Creators have drawn inspiration from iconic anime like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Young Justice, and Ninja Scroll for the Castlevania animated series.
The British comic author Warren Ellis has penned the entirety of Season 1, Part 1’s scripts. He is best known for comics like Transmetropolitan, Planetary, Hellblazer, and more.
Despite being born in Japan and gaining worldwide recognition through NES games, the latest title in the series, ‘Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2,’ launched for PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 only.
The franchise might return to Nintendo with the release of the Switch console, as Konami is listed among the developers working with the company to create new games.
