Netflix Announces a Castlevania TV Series

[Steven Bogos]

Netflix Announces a Castlevania TV Series

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Simon Belmont is making his way to a TV near you later this year.

Buried in the regular announcement of Netflix original series debut dates [http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/08/netflix-renews-the-oa-for-season-2-and-love-for-season-3] was a rather interesting tidbit: a Castlevania TV show. That's right, Simon Belmont, Dracula, and all of their buddies will be gracing your TV screen later this year.

Adi Shankar (Dredd) confirmed on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/theadishankarbrand/posts/1662553890644905] he would be co-running the series, and acclaimed writer Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Iron Man) has reportedly written the first season.

According to Netflix's official description of the series, Castlevania will focus on the game franchise's Belmont clan, as it follows "the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepe himself."

"This is very much Castlevania done in the vein of Game of Thrones," Shankar said of the project in an interview with IGN [http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/08/netflix-announces-castlevania-animated-series]. He said that the show would be a loose adaptation of the plot of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.

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For those worried that the show will be toned down for younger audiences, Shankar assured us that it is "going to be R-rated as f***."

"This is going to be the best f*****g video game adaptation we've had to date," he added. Given the quality of most video game adaptions, that wouldn't be too huge of a feat...

Source: IGN [http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/08/netflix-announces-castlevania-animated-series]

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[LTenhet]

I look forward to seeing how they will screw this up.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Well, they seem to be coming at it from the right angle at least. Dracula's Curse had the most diverse cast of the early games to develop, and even now seems more impactful on the series than the original, with Curse of Darkness basically being a direct story sequel to it along with being the game that introduced Alucard.

Who knows? It might just be the best thing to happen to Castlevania since Order of Ecclesia.

 

[TheScorpion]

Funny, I believe this is also animated production by Frederator Projections right?

Because I saw that announced before, it's just that being on Netflix is what's news to me. Either way, I'll just wait on photos or a trailer of it before passing judgement.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Netflix shows trend towards good/decent, with many greats... but we're talking FucKonami...

 

[iwinatlife]

clearly accurate plot synopsis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brs6-uQMfGU

 

[Erttheking]

Well Netflix originals do tend to be rather good, Konami proved with Silent Hills that all the stars can align in their favor and they can still find a way to fuck it up. Cautiously optimistic that they're kept far enough away from this to get something good out of this.

 

[Callate]

For those worried that the show will be toned down for younger audiences, Shankar assured us that it is "going to be R-rated as f***."

Ooooh. "Erotic Violence"?

I think Konami has made more than a bit of a hash of Castlevania at this point, plot included.

But, then again, Warren Ellis. I have fond memories of his run of "G.I. Joe: Resolute" (Cobra commander sneering "Normally, this is the part in the plan where the wheels come off!" sticks in my mind), and I've liked a lot of his work in comics and in fiction. I think he might just have a chance of cobbling a lackluster franchise into something worth seeing. Particularly if Konami is willing to take a hands-off approach and let people who actually know what they're doing and care handle it.

Color me cautiously interested.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I am half hoping that this series takes place entirely as a side scrolling platformer.

 

[Saelune]

Marvel on Netflix is like...one of the best things ever. I also am not some Castlevania superfan. So...it will have to be -really- bad for me to hate it. I am optimistic for this.

 

[Elijin]

During the 5th episode will they go back to the 1st one to get something using new abilities they've unlocked?

 

[Dalisclock]

Is 1999 going to be mentioned? Or explained?

Who I am kidding? Netflix doesn't have enough Budget to do justice to 1999 even if they were allowed to resolve it.

 

[Kyrian007]

"Castlevania on Netflix."

Ohh, kind of interested.

"Castlevania done in the vein of Game of Thrones"

Oops, nevermind.

May as well have just said, "hey, we wanna make a grimdark 'mature' series with bewbs and sex stuff that also has swords and blood and junk... who's that video game publisher that hates its own IP?"

As an aside, I do hope I'm wrong. If I like this Castlevania show I'll come back here and say I was wrong. But the good writing of the source material and the story is the strength of HBO's A Game of Thrones... and these guys are adapting a KONAMI product. As much as I liked Castlevania 3... ASoIaF level writing really isn't exactly what Castlevania is known for.

 

[Bedinsis]

"Castlevania done in the vein of Game of Thrones"

Oops, nevermind.

Oh, I skimmed over that part. Yeah, I'm not interested anymore, if the fact that it's We-do-not-care-about-our-franchises-anymore-Konami that is behind this didn't raise enough red lights.

Seriously, looking over the synopsis of Dracula's curse makes me think a monster-of-the-week based show would be the best adaptation, where the team of heroes have one problem to deal with each week while gradually revealing the overarching plot and the backstories of the heroes/the villain until they finally can confront him in the finale. It would also be an (somewhat)accurate depiction of a Castlevania game, aside from not by necessity taking place in one castle.

But okay, maybe they meant Game of Thrones as in "it's clearly successful so we want to remind you of that". Which would be highly cynical, but one never knows...

The first season of a Castlevania animated series[---]

"[The series is] going to be R-rated as f***," Shankar said of the series' level of violence

...and I full-stop lost all interest. Animated? No.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

"Castlevania done in the vein of Game of Thrones"

Oops, nevermind.

Oh, I skimmed over that part. Yeah, I'm not interested anymore, if the fact that it's We-do-not-care-about-our-franchises-anymore-Konami that is behind this didn't raise enough red lights.

Seriously, looking over the synopsis of Dracula's curse makes me think a monster-of-the-week based show would be the best adaptation, where the team of heroes have one problem to deal with each week while gradually revealing the overarching plot and the backstories of the heroes/the villain until they finally can confront him in the finale. It would also be an (somewhat)accurate depiction of a Castlevania game, aside from not by necessity taking place in one castle.

But okay, maybe they meant Game of Thrones as in "it's clearly successful so we want to remind you of that". Which would be highly cynical, but one never knows...

The first season of a Castlevania animated series[---]

"[The series is] going to be R-rated as f***," Shankar said of the series' level of violence

...and I full-stop lost all interest. Animated? No.

You WANT a Live Action Castlevania movie?

Do you not know how fuckin gaudy that would be? This in Live Action?

I mean people criticized the Warcraft movie for being live action, what with the Orc designs and designs of costumes and sets, but you want Castle-fuckin-vania to be live action?

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

"Castlevania on Netflix."

Ohh, kind of interested.

"Castlevania done in the vein of Game of Thrones"

Oops, nevermind.

May as well have just said, "hey, we wanna make a grimdark 'mature' series with bewbs and sex stuff that also has swords and blood and junk... who's that video game publisher that hates its own IP?"

...Castlevania has always had a grimdark vibe to it, and it showed off bewbs before. (Looks at Succubus concept art)

 

[Bedinsis]

You WANT a Live Action Castlevania movie?

The article said nothing of a movie, they spoke of a TV series.

Do you not know how fuckin gaudy that would be?

I never thought of it in terms of what Castlevania the game series looks like, I assumed they would tone down the aesthetics. Or just keep the barest of minimum in order to call it an adaptation, given that Castlevania already is a video game adaptation of classic horror movies. But if the are going to use excessive violence as a selling point and still use animation I assume that it will be mature in a way that teenagers and younger think mature is. Excessive use of things they "know" they are not supposed to see, at the detriment of everything else.

 

[Saelune]

Ya know, Castlevania would have made a great 80's/90's animated adventure cartoon.

 

[go-10]

so is this going to be like Captain N?

 

[MonsterCrit]

"This is very much Castlevania done in the vein of Game of Thrones,"

So what you have is a game of thrones knock off with a few castlevania names and references.
Geez.