Castlevania producer Adi Shankar says scripts for the first season of his Devil May Cry anime adaptation are complete.
Shankar offered a progress report on the production of the highly anticipated series during an interview with IGN. According to Shankar, the scripts for the series' first eight episodes, which will comprise its entire first season, have been finished. The series was written in collaboration with Alex Larsen, who previously worked with Shankar on Bodied, a 2017 rap comedy that was also produced by Eminem. “The season 1 scripts are done,” Shankar said, adding, “They are rad. I could not be more excited.” Shankar also revealed that, like Castlevania before it, he is planning a multi-season arc for Devil May Cry's story. While Shankar was coy about revealing any specific details about the new anime's story, he did confirm that it would focus on the central three characters from the original game. “I can confirm that Vergil is in it, as well as Lady, and of course Dante as well,” he said.
Shankar praised the Devil May Cry team at video game publisher Capcom, saying “The entire team both from the management side and the creative side have been so incredibly supportive and gracious... It’s seriously a joy to work with Capcom. Their character library is unlike anything assembled." The new show is being developed as a collaboration between Shankar and his team; Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who has worked on the Devil May Cry series ever since the original game and has also produced several of the more recent entries in the Resident Evil franchise; and animation studio Madhouse, which is best known for its work on anime series such as Trigun and Death Note.
Devil May Cry began in 2001 with a pioneering Playstation 2 action game that was directed by Hideki Kamiya, who previously directed Resident Evil 2 and would later go on to create the critically acclaimed Okami and Bayonetta. The game revolutionized the third-person action genre with its precise controls and fluid, stylish combat. The series has become one of Capcom's most popular IPs, with the most recent entry in the franchise, Devil May Cry 5, selling over 3 million copies in under a year.
Shankar's new show will be Devil May Cry's second anime adaptation: Madhouse previously produced a 12 episode series in 2007 that took place in between the events of the first and second video games. In addition to the new series from Capcom, Shankar is also developing a series based on the popular battle royale shooter, PUBG.
Source: IGN
