Netflix is working on a Castlevania series

Netflix is working on a new original series based on Konami’s Castlevania franchise, the company announced today.

The news was buried within a press release sent out after an event for the network’s upcoming slate of new series, which was held in New York City. Although Netflix didn’t announce who would executive produce the Castlevania series, but Adi Shankar (producer on Dredd) confirmed on Facebook he would be co-running the series. The first part of the first season is expected to be released this year. Acclaimed writer Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Iron Man) has reportedly written the first season.

Prior to the announcement animator Michael Hirsh told the Globe and Mail that his new studio, Wow Unlimited Media, would be teaming with Netflix to create the animated series. According to Hirsh, the show will be targeted towards a younger audience, which is interesting considering Shankar described the show as dark and satirical, with the intention to “flip the vampire sub-genre on its head.”

In December, Adventure Time executive producer Fred Seibert hinted on a podcast that he was working on a TV series about a popular video game (his studio, Frederator, owns the rights to Castlevania) but nothing was confirmed by Seibert or Netflix at the time.

The first Castlevania game was released in 1986, but it’s unclear if the series will focus on the events of that specific title or later installments in the franchise. The last game in the Castlevania series, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, was released in 2014.

More information is expected to be announced in the coming months.