"Super Mario Bros.," "Tomb Raider," "Mortal Kombat," "Street Fighter," "Resident Evil," "Prince of Persia" ... everyone's been disappointed by a video game adaptation at some point, right?
While some have been financial successes, you're unlikely to find one at the top of anyone's must-watch list. But with his animated Netflix adaptation of "Castlevania" streaming everywhere Friday, showrunner Adi Shankar is hoping to change everything.
"I think video game adaptations in general have had a stigma, right?" he said in an interview with TooFab. "There hasn't been a good one, up until Friday when this drops and people will be like, there's the first good one. No disrespect to anyone that has made a video game adaptation before, but they've been cash grabs by posers."
Shankar to 'Assassin's Creed' Fans: 'I'm Not Going to F--k Up My Own Childhood'
View Story"I'm genuinely a fan, I grew up playing games, I'm a gamer. I'm more of a gamer than I am a movie guy," he said of his experience with the franchise. Shankar said he took a lot of inspiration for the show from "Castlevania III," which marked the first appearance of Alucard, a fan favorite who also appears in the Netflix adaptation.
Despite his love for the source material, the showrunner said he and the rest of the team didn't feel any pressure bringing the game's characters to life.
"This show was made by fans for fans," he said. "I know a lot of filmmakers will get on stage at panels and talk about the pressure. We understood the source material and we were like, 'Oh yes, we get to tell it now.' It was a different mentality than a cash grab."
Getty
Netflix's 'Castlevania' Showrunner Blasts The Rock in Defense of Movie Critics
View StoryNetflix is clearly pleased with the direction of the show, which has already gotten the green light for a second season.
"They never do this, the show isn't even out yet, they doubled the episode order for season two," Shankar confirmed. "It's amazing, this is what I wanted to do. I felt like ... I don't want to rail on my live action career, but this is dope. It's storytelling, it's just a different aesthetic."
He added that the show is definitely for adults, before adding, "So if you have a little child at home, you should definitely show it to your little child. And show them Verhoeven's 'RoboCop' while you're at it."
"Castlevania" is streaming now on Netflix.
