Netflix Revives Canceled Series With Spinoff

Netflix confirmed that the first Castlevania spinoff is in the works. The original animated series [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Netflix confirmed that the first Castlevania spinoff is in the works. The original animated series ran four seasons, with the final season released on May 13. The show is based on the Castlevania video game franchise, published by Konami. The spinoff is set in the same universe, but with all-new characters, and takes place hundreds of years after the main series.

On Friday, the streaming giant officially announced a Castlevania spin-off set in 1792 France, just as the French Revolution. "The Castlevania Universe is getting even bigger," the announcement read. "An all-new series starring Richter Belmont (the son of Sypha and Trevor) and Maria Renard, set in France during the French Revolution, is currently in the works." Producer Kevin Kolde's Project 51 Productions is developing with showrunner and executive producer Clive Bradley, reports Deadline. Powerhouse Animation will also return as the lead animation studio behind the series.

The news on Friday was not a complete surprise, as news of the spinoff first surfaced in April when Deadline reported that Castlevania's fourth season would be its last. Comic book writer Warren Ellis developed the Castlevania series, but he is reportedly not going to be involved in the French Revolution-set spinoff. Ellis faced sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied, last year, after finishing work on Season 4.

Back in May, Kolde confirmed a spinoff was possible, but couldn't share concrete details at the time. "I'll just say that there are discussions about a new Castlevania series since [the video game franchise] is a rich universe of characters over many many years," he told Slash Film. "We're excited to explore those other characters and time periods. We'll have more to say that in the future. That's really all I can say."

The gothic horror franchise Castlevania launched with the original game in 1986. The animated series is influenced Ayami Kojima's art. The first two seasons took their storyline from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989), and follows Trevor Belmont, Alucard, and Sypha Belnades as they defend Wallachia from Dracula. Kolde began developing the project as a movie with Ellis as a writer, but the project was on hold until 2015. The first season debuted in 2017. The voice cast features Richard Armitage, James Callis, Alejandra Reynoso, and Graham McTavish. Castlevania was also Netflix's first original anime series.

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