Adi Shankar Wants to Make a Metroid Anime Series

If Adi Shankar has his way, a dark and gritty Metroid animated series will be in his future. For years, Shankar has aimed to reinvent known properties in his hyper-violent and grim style. After making a name for himself as a film producer, Shankar caught the internet’s attention with short films based upon The Punisher, Venom and even the Power Rangers. Since that time, plans have been announced for him to tackle a dark Power Rangers TV show, but that’s hardly the only thing he’s working on.

Shankar’s big focus right now is the Netflix animated series Castlevania. Based on the hit video game franchise, the short but enjoyable first season has already been renewed and given twice the episode count. Mixing the supernatural, anime, video game mythology, and lots of violent action, the show has been a hit with fans. But Shankar, never one to stick to a single project, wants to turn his producer’s eye on a number of other video game adaptations. And though it’s unclear how Nintendo would feel about a non-family-friendly approach to one of their properties, Shankar is keen to work with them.

While speaking with Nintendo Life, Shankar was asked which other video game he’d like to adapt and his choice is sure to excite fans. He said:

“Dark Metroid in the same anime style.”

While Metroid fans have long been hoping to see a live-action film following Samus Aran and her exploits, an anime on Netflix could be the perfect way to explore the world. Metroid Prime brought a new darkness to the popular series, so any adaptation along those lines could be exciting. And with Nintendo announcing plans for a fourth Metroid Prime, a TV series could be a novel way of cross-promoting the game.

Of course, Nintendo have been hugely resistant to adapting its properties ever since the Super Mario Bros. movie bombed in the ’90s. Still, with Netflix, Shankar, and animation involved, Metroid could get the adaptation it deserves.

In the meantime, Castlevania isn’t Shankar’s only video game project. It was recently announced that he would be helping to bring an Assassin’s Creed TV series to life, in hopes of capitalizing on the hit game franchise in a way last year’s film didn’t quite manage. With Shankar’s cred increasing with each new project, it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets to make that Metroid show after all.