To be handed the tabula rasa that is the Castlevania video game franchise, a relatively thin source material, and turn it into a fully realized, emotionally captivating show is no small feat. Most video game adaptations have a reputation for being joyless duds. But showrunner, Clive Bradley, did it and his work has paid off. During the week of its release, Castlevania: Nocturne’s second season was one of the top ten most watched shows on Netflix worldwide.
Like its first season, Nocturne’s second season is a heady mix of anime romanticism, Boasian cultural relativism and high-octane Hollywood fuel. But it’s arguably the show’s warm, universal sentimentality that is what allowed it to strike a chord with a global audience.
As the French Revolution crescendos with the death of King Louis XVI and the rise of rebel leader, Maximillien Robespierre, a group of vampire hunters set out to defeat a genocidal vampire queen who uses fear and populism to control the revolution.
Bradley and I spoke at length on his formative cinematic influences and the second season of his hugely successful, politically tinged show.
The second season of Castlevania: Nocturne has been out for a day now. Are you happy with how well it’s been received?
Very happy! Most of the reviews I’ve come across have been extremely positive.
A lot of fans can’t help but compare Castlevania: Nocturne to the original Castlevania Netflix show that was helmed by Warren Ellis. While the original Castlevania show was more violent and misanthropic, Nocturne is more emotional and uplifting. Was that a conscious decision on your part?
I don’t think I set out at any point to be different from Warren Ellis’ version for the sake of it. I enjoyed the original show very much. I just think that Nocturne flows from my attitude towards the world. I don’t see myself as a misanthropic person, so I guess that translates into the storytelling. I intended the show to be set during the French Revolution which was both a turbulent time but also a hopeful one.
“I’m a fan of epic films like Kubrick’s Spartacus and I’m also a BIG Buffy fan! I watched that show from start to finish three times.”
Which filmmakers or works of art influenced you during the development of the show?
When it came to Nocturne’s storytelling, I was for sure influenced by Anne Rice’s work. You can see that especially in the character of Olrox, who is a vampire but also a tragic figure.
Music is a big part of the show’s DNA, the arias that the character, Edouard, sings play an important part in the storyline. I was listening to arias constantly while I was writing the show especially Giuseppe Verdi’s work. I found them incredibly moving.
When it came to the character of Annette and her backstory, the St. Dominigue Revolution, I was influenced by the book, The Black Jacobins, written by the Trinidadian writer/activist, C.L.R. James. I don’t think you can tell the story of the French Revolution without talking about St. Dominique and what happened there. The two are interlinked.
I should also say that I’m a fan of epic films like Kubrick’s Spartacus, which is one of my favorite films. You’ll see a lot of epic fights in the second season. I’m also a big, big, BIG fan of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. I watched that show from start to finish three times.
I want to talk about the character of Annette but now that you’ve mentioned Buffy, I definitely got a Buffy vibe off of the scene where the characters are strategizing about defeating Erszebet Bathory (the show’s main antagonist). It reminded me of all the scenes in Buffy where all the characters strategize about how they’re going to defeat the monster of the day
Oh, absolutely! The Scooby Gang – Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles and the rest of the group – were the prototype for the group of heroes in Castlevania: Nocturne.
I love that Buffy musical episode, “Once More With Feeling!”
Yes, amazing episode!
Going back to the character of Annette (an emancipated slave) – films and television shows often serve as a reflective medium for modern-day political ideologies and hot button societal issues. Castlevania: Nocturne seems to be no exception. Do you agree with that?
Certainly, a lot of people have thought that. In my opinion, there’s no point really in telling a story set in history unless it has some contemporary resonance so there are certainly themes (in the show) that have to do with racism and colonialism that are still relevant to the world we live in. But first and foremost is the story. We are telling a story. The show is not a political pamphlet.
This segues into my question which is that a lot of longtime fans of the Castlevania video games did take issue with the political aspects of the show. A lot of hatred and criticism was levelled at Castlevania: Nocturne to the point where the portmanteau “Wokevania” was commonly used to describe the show. What are your thoughts on that?
We faced different kinds of criticism, some of the criticism I felt more inclined to listen to. Other kinds of criticism we faced such as Annette being black (the original character in the video games was white) and us covering the Haitain Revolution; I am not interested in that criticism. I understand that this is a franchise that is loved by so many so if you change things, they’re going to be upset but we didn’t set out to be controversial. My pitch to Netflix was that, because the Castlevania video game, Rondo of Blood, was set in 1792 at the time of the French Revolution then that’s the story that I wanted to tell. I also wanted to talk about the Haitian Revolution because I think the most radical outcome of the French Revolution was that it abolished slavery long before other countries like the United States did. My main aim with Castlevania: Nocturne was to reach a wider audience and to not just cater to fans of the video games franchise.
It’s safe to say that the show has a lot more fans than it does detractors. For example, the black villainess, Drolta, who is an original character on the show, has resonated very strongly with many black female anime fans in particular. A lot of them enjoy cosplaying her. Why do you think that is?
Well, Drolta is a lot of fun. She’s a strong, caustic, witty character who has a lot of costume changes! She’s a character that a lot of people relate to.
The other female characters on the show, Erszebet Bathory and Tara, are also incredibly interesting. I couldn’t help but notice that they’re voiced by two icons of 90s foreign cinema, Nastassja Kinski (Paris, Texas) and Run Lola Run’s Franka Potente. How did they get involved in the project?
We approached them to play those characters. Kinski was Kevin Kolde’s (series producer) idea. They’re both, as you’ve mentioned, iconic actors so it was wonderful to get them. They both definitely delivered, gave fantastic performances.
Thank you for your time, Clive and for doing Castlevania justice. This season felt like a love letter to a franchise so many people like myself cherish. I hope it’ll be picked up for a third season.
Thank you so much. And yes, fingers crossed!
