Castlevania Producer Suing After Exclusion from Spinoff

Television

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news yesterday that Adi Shankar will sue Netflix and Castlevania executive producer Kevin Kolde for leaving him out of the upcoming spinoff series. Allegedly, the parties had a verbal contract entitling Shankar to involvement with any spinoffs or sequels, as well as 33% of whatever back-end payment ensued. This comes following a fall from grace for series creator and writer Warren Ellis. He was accused of sexual misconduct in 2020, which resulted in his removal from the series. Earlier this year, following the release of Castlevania’s fourth and final season, a spinoff series set in the French Revolution was announced. Shankar alleges that Kolde took advantage of the situation with Ellis to shut him out of the production and maximize his own profits.

This isn’t the kind of news I expected (or wanted) to hear about the Castlevania spinoff, especially so soon after its announcement. The property is no stranger to drama, with Warren Ellis’ public disgrace and retirement from the show last year. I find it notable that the series lost its creator and head writer prior to season four’s production but maintained the same stellar quality for which fans grew to love it. It’s distressing that Adi Shankar, who has previously produced movies like Dredd and The Grey, seems to have been shut out for no such reason. Cutting ties with someone accused of a serious crime is understandable (although regrettable and wrong if they end up being innocent). But if what Shankar says is true, Kevin Kolde just didn’t want to share the profits. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, and I won’t be shocked if Kolde simply offers him a job or a settlement to avoid the theatrics of a day in court. I also don’t know how well a verbal agreement will hold up in court or how one would prove such a pact existed (unless it was recorded). Regardless, I hope they work it out as well for everyone as possible, and I still anticipate the series.