Kolkata-born Castlevania producer Adi Shankar reveals the connection between Devil May Cry and the late James Van Der Beek
Adi Shankar has been someone who was never interested in playing it safe in Hollywood. With a strong taste for bold, action-driven and slightly dark stories, he has built a career by choosing projects that stand apart from the usual studio formula that has worked for others. Born in Kolkata and raised partly in the United States, Adi entered the industry as a producer.
Early in his career, he backed films like The Grey and Dredd, which helped him gain attention for supporting intense, character-led action dramas. Over time, he moved into television and animation, where he found even greater success.
As the executive producer of Netflix’s Castlevania, he helped turn a popular video game into a critically appreciated animated series known for its strong writing, layered characters and mature themes. The show proved that game adaptations could have emotional depth and serious storytelling. He also became known for his Bootleg Universe short films, which offered darker takes on well-known pop culture characters.
Through projects like The Guardians of Justice and Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, he has continued to experiment with style and format. He is someone who would not follow trends, but prefers to take risks, making him one of the more distinct creative voices in today’s entertainment space.
He found even more success with the first season of Devil May Cry on Netflix, an adaptation of the Japanese video game franchise of the same name, which premiered in April last year. With the second season of this series all set to release in May this year, we catch up with Adi to talk about the idea behind the creation of the series, his approach towards creating a show based on a video game, how Kolkata and the cities he grew up in shaped him and lots more…
Let’s start with Devil May Cry. What made you want to create the series?
Do you know James Van Der Beek? He just passed away last month. He was my best friend. He encouraged me to do it. It’s not like he directly told me to make Devil May Cry, but I would tell him about everything as it was happening. Every milestone of season one. Every big decision. When I decided the villain was going to be an evil bunny rabbit, I called him. When I made music choices, I called him. He was the person I spoke to constantly throughout the process. So now, that he’s gone, the show feels very personal.
Video game adaptations don’t always work. What were you conscious of while making this series?
My process is very intuitive. I don’t sit there with a formula. I don’t try to reverse-engineer success. I just follow my instincts. The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want it to be boring. That’s it. If it’s boring, it’s dead. So, I kept asking myself — is this exciting? Is this fun? Is this emotionally engaging? If it wasn’t, we changed it.
How did you balance staying true to the game while also making the show your own?
I took the Christopher Nolan approach to Batman. It’s not a direct adaptation. It’s a re-imagining through my own filter. It’s one person with a vision executing it. It’s closer to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy than something that feels like a committee-driven studio product.
After the success of season one, did your approach shift for the second season?
I just wanted to do better. Make it bigger. Make it more ambitious. Grow the franchise properly. Season two is, with respect to magnitude, better than season one. It’s like the jump from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight — that kind of leap. That’s what we’re aiming for.
What do you love most about Dante (the lead character of the series)?
He’s just a really good guy. At his core, he’s a good person. He reminds me a lot of James. James was an amazing human being. In India, people knew him. In America, he was one of the most famous people. But I never thought about him like that. He was just my best friend. Dante has that same quality. That goodness. That loyalty. That sense of humour even when things are dark.
You’ve worked extensively in adult animation. What excites you about the medium?
I love it. I genuinely love it. That’s the simple answer. And for a long time, especially when I was younger, it bothered me that adult animation wasn’t taken seriously everywhere. In Japan, it has always been serious. It has always been ‘the medium.’ But in other parts of the world, including India, animation was boxed into this idea that it’s just for children. Look at the numbers. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train made more money globally than Superman. That’s not an opinion. That’s an economic fact. The numbers don’t care about anyone’s bias. So, the conversation is changing whether people like it or not.
You were born in Kolkata and then moved to the US. How did that shape you?
It wasn’t just Kolkata to the US. It was Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Rhode Island, Chicago. A lot of moving. When you move that much, you stop accepting the world as fixed. You start seeing how it could be instead of just how it is. Every culture is different. Every place has its own rhythm. That expands your mind. Twenty years ago in India, cartoons were considered just for kids. But, I knew that in Japan there were adult cartoons. I had seen it. When you have reference points from different parts of the world, you don’t just accept one region’s bias as truth.
Do you feel connected to India while working in Hollywood?
Absolutely. I went to school here. Many of my friends are here. I’ve been in Mumbai for the past few days and I feel very much at home. But I’ll be honest — earlier, it did make me sad when my shows would trend in the US but not in India. Recognition from your home country matters. You want that connection. It’s still strange to me that I’m more famous in Japan than I am in India. That’s an interesting feeling.
As a showrunner, what’s the hardest part of the job?
Letting go. I have control over everything — the story, the visuals, the music, the pacing. And sometimes I’ll think, ‘we need one more shot.’ Or, ‘let’s add one more sequence.’ I’ll even feel like calling Netflix and saying, ‘can we delay this four months, so, I can add something?’ But at some point, you have to release it. You have to let it go out into the world.
Are you a perfectionist?
I think every Indian person is a perfectionist. It’s coded in our DNA .
How do you stop yourself from obsessing over tiny details?
I start working on something else. Because you can get stuck adjusting a tree in the background that no one is even going to notice. Big picture changes matter. But micro-fixes can trap you. Switching projects resets your brain.
Do you ever switch off from work?
Not really. I’m usually working on three projects at once — one in production, one in post-production and one in development. This is my hobby. I love it. It doesn’t feel like work.
What scares you as a storyteller?
Nothing. Earlier, when my work didn’t trend in India, it didn’t scare me. It just made me a little sad. That’s different. Sadness is not fear.
What’s next for you?
Right now, I’m going to a celebration of life for my friend James. Beyond that, I’m always working. There’s always something in development. I don’t really stop.
Devil May Cry Season 2 will stream on Netflix soon.
Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com
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