Netflix's 'Castlevania' Producer Sues Production Company for Being Excluded From Spinoff

The production company behind one of Netflix's most popular series is facing new legal woes as [...]

By Stephen Andrew

The production company behind one of Netflix's most popular series is facing new legal woes as Castlevania producer, Adi Shankar has filed a lawsuit against the company and one of its executive producers Kevin Kolde for excluding him from the spinoff series, per The Hollywood Reporter. Castlevania, the hit animated anime series based on a video game and comic book franchise, ended after four seasons on Netflix this past spring. Shankar helped develop the show along with producer Kolde and writer Warren Ellis but says that when plans for a spinoff emerged, he was left out.

In 2020, Ellis became the subject of heavy scrutiny surrounding allegations that he'd abused his position in the coming book industry in order to coerce women to have sexual and romantic relationships with him. In a complaint filed on Wednesday cited by THR, Shankar claims Kolde "concocted a scheme to expand the Castlevania universe while simultaneously cutting Shankar out of the Agreement the parties made — and boosting Kolde's profits." Shankar states that he had an oral agreement that guaranteed he'd be "locked" into any Castlevania spinoff or continuation plans, which would allow him creative input and 33 percent compensation on the backend.

Netflix officially announced a Castlevania spinoff in May, revealing that Kolde was set to serve as producer. The series will be set during the French Revolution. Shankar is suing the production company and Kolde for breach of contract, claiming he "was never consulted or even informed of the new spinoff series." Neither the production company nor Kolde appears to have responded to the legal complaint at this time.

"When his wife is burned at the stake after being falsely accused of witchcraft, the vampire Count Vlad Dracula Țepeș declares all the people of Wallachia will pay with their lives," reads a synopsis of Castlevania. "He summons an army of demons which overruns the country, causing the people to live lives of fear and distrust. To combat this, the outcast monster hunter Trevor Belmont takes up arms against Dracula's forces, aided by the magician Sypha Belnades and Dracula's dhampir son Alucard."

Castlevania debuted on Netflix in 2017, borrowing from various franchise entries such as the 1989 video game Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005), and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997). Among the voice cast for the series are stars such as Richard Armitage, James Callis, Graham McTavish, Tony Amendola, Emily Swallow, Jaime Murray, Peter Stormare, Bill Nighy, Jason Isaacs, and Lance Reddick. The proposed spinoff will follow Richter Belmont, a descendant of Trevor Belmont (Armitage).

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