Hollywood producer, director, and screenwriter Adi Shankar has acquired the rights to Duke Nukem.
Shankar – who developed both the Castlevania and Devil May Cry animated shows for Netflix – told Esquire he has “video games in production”, and has been approached with “different IPs and companies that want to work with [him]”, as well as “obviously more” Devil May Cry. In amongst that is Duke Nukem, albeit “not the gaming rights”.
“I got video games in production. Obviously more Devil May Cry,” he said. “I’m being approached with different IPs and companies that want to work with me. I bought the rights to Duke Nukem. Not the gaming rights, but I bought it from Gearbox.
“It’s a middle finger to everybody. When Duke Nukem blew up, a bunch of people sat around trying to turn it into a brand, when it’s just a middle finger. Duke Nukem can’t be made by a corporation, because the moment a corporation makes Duke Nukem, it’s no longer Duke Nukem. I don’t intend on having anyone tell me what to do on this one.”
As for his Devil May Cry show? Shankar said Season 1 “had to be the gateway drug”, but in Season 2, “the storytelling is going to pivot”.
“Season 2 is going to be different, stylistically and tonally, from season 1. Virgil is a big, very important character. It’s essentially a new show,” Shankar added.
“I have goals. I want to body Arcane, surpass it in viewership… Arcane is the Joker lighting cash on fire, and it’s great. With season 2 of Devil May Cry, I want to beat that. Show up to a tank fight with a water balloon and destroy the tank. Because that’s cool.”
Celebrating Devil May Cry’s latest sales milestone, Capcom said the anime had been met with critical acclaim and boasts more than 5.3m views, and has now been renewed for a second season. Along with Johnny Yong Bosch as Dante, the first series of Devil May Cry included legendary Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy as VP Baines.
“Netflix’s long-gestating animated adaptation of Capcom’s venerable hack-em-up gives Dante his blockbuster action hero moment,” reads Eurogamer’s Devil May Cry season one review.