How Adi Shankar Jumped From Netflix's Castlevania to Captain Laserhawk, Ubisoft IP Remix

Adi Shankar, the producer known for his wide-ranging projects including 2012's Dredd and 2011's The Grey, earned recognition in the mainstream gaming community with the Netflix adaptation of Castlevania, which he served as the showrunner for. This animation, which drew from Konami's renowned game series, broke the alleged curse of video game adaptations in 2017.

Since then, he has been involved in several popular video game-based projects, such as the upcoming Devil May Cry anime on Netflix.

Shankar's latest venture, Netflix's Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, is a new narrative that incorporates a mix of Ubisoft IP, from Rayman to Assassin’s Creed to Watch Dogs to Beyond Good and Evil, while being vaguely based on Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. His involvement with Castlevania helped him land the role on this project.

The Bootleg Universe, a parody-inclined series of short films Shankar has been working on since 2012, also had a large influence, proving his unique ability to reinterpret and restructure different elements into a new piece.

His creative process involves working on various different projects, only to realize later that they are all part of one larger narrative. Like his previous work, Captain Laserhawk is intended to be a love letter to video games, incorporating various animation styles from different eras of gaming.

Despite the potential controversy that may arise from fans of the original games, Shankar remains firm in his vision with a tinge of curiosity about how audiences will receive the show. The series consists of six episodes and is set to launch on Netflix on October 19, 2023.