'Castlevania' Season 2 hits Netflix on October 26
Good old 'Castlevania' is returning with its second season on Netflix and has even got a release date - October 26. The announcement, made on Twitter by series writer Warren Ellis, comes close to the one-year anniversary of the series. The anime series is an adaptation of the 1989 Japanese video game, 'Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse' (released in 1990) by Konami, a Japanese entertainment and gaming conglomerate. With an art style influenced by Japanese anime and Ayami Kojima's artwork in 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,' the series was initially planned as a film developed by producer Kevin Kolde and his company Project 51, and eventually was taken up by Frederator Studios after Kolde joined the company in 2005. Writer Warren Ellis got into a contract with Kolde in 2007 following which the project finally found its home ground in Netflix on 2015.
Season 1 followed the last surviving member and disgraced monster hunter of the Belmont clan, Trevor Belmont, protecting the civilians from the wrath of Vlad Dracula Tepes, the vampire king. The dark medieval fantasy sees Dracula seeking revenge after his wife was burnt and killed at stake on suspicions of witchcraft. It is upon Belmont to save Eastern Europe from perishing at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepes.
Graham McTavish who is best known for his roles as Dwalin in 'The Hobbit' trilogy lends his voice to Dracula, whereas Richard Armitage who is known for playing the role of Thorin Oakenshield in 'The Hobbit' trilogy is the voice behind Trevor Belmont. Other cast members include James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) as Alucard, Emily Swallow (Supernatural) as Lisa, Matt Frewer (Orphan Black) as The Bishop, Tony Amendola (Annabelle) as The Elder and Alejandra Reynoso (G.I. Joe: Renegades) as Sypha Belnades.
Reportedly, all the principal actors of the first season will return for the second season, and it will pick up from where the first season ended - Dracula's son Alucard joining forces with Belmont to take down the vampire king. Richard Armitage, according to Digital Spy, has revealed, "The son of Dracula [Adrian Tepes, voiced by James Callis] and my character get much more collaborative...I think that's one of tProduced by Adi Shankar, the second season will run for eight episodes, almost double the number of episodes when compared to the first season. Announcing Castlevania in 2015, Shankar had said: "The goal is to bring hard-hitting anime to America and be America’s first animated series for adults."he most exciting things, they start to really work together."
The announcement was officially made during the Netflix Anime panel at Anime Expo. Netflix Director of Content for Japan & Anime John Derderian said, "As Netflix has grown around the world we have been astounded by the broad reach and great depth of anime fandom. We are partnering with the best global creators to produce a diverse slate of shows that we hope will excite the boundless passion of anime fans and make Netflix a premier destination for this beloved art form.”
Hypable reports that the 'Castlevania' series is a part of Netflix's effort to bring original anime programming into their lineup. The report states that recently Netflix released an exclusive adaptation of the manga 'Kakegurui' along with the anime drama 'Violet Evergarden.'
Netflix is likely to tap into the userbase of popular anime streaming services such as Crunchyroll. Warren Ellis, Kevin Kolde, Adi Shankar and Fred Seibert are executive producers. Production services are provided by Austin, Texas-based Powerhouse Animation with Brad Graeber supervising producer, Jason Williams as the producer, and Sam Deats as director.
