A return to Castlevania is finally in order for Netflix. First revealed during the streamer’s 2022 Geeked Week, the spinoff series Castlevania: Nocturne is finally taking the lid off of the coffin with a new trailer showing Trevor Belmont’s whip-cracking ancestor Richter Belmont in action. Dracula is out of the picture, but a new threat has risen to take advantage of the social upheaval in France and push for the enslavement of humanity as the newest Belmont steps up to fight back.
Set at the time of the French Revolution, Nocturne takes inspiration from two of the most prominent games in the Castlevania franchise featuring Richter – Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. Although young, he takes up the mantle of the Belmont clan at a tumultuous time when the people are rising up to improve their lot in life. The trailer shows the hardships Richter personally has gone through, losing his mother to a ruthless killer who promises to do the same to him when the time is right. Despite all the sadness in his heart, he heeds the call of the sorceress Annette to lead the resistance against the vampire threat that has teamed up with the aristocracy to grind their bones into dust.
Along the way, Richter will also join forces with Maria Renard, another recurring character from both Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, who is using her magic to help lead the forces of the resistance against the creatures of the night. They face a terrible foe in the Vampire Messiah, a being who is prophesied to devour the sun before the moon is full and bring the resistance to heel. She hopes to enslave all of humanity, but Richter, Maria, Annette, and the other members of their band of heroes refuse to let that happen. The final moments of the trailer show the action-packed, bloody, and painful battle ahead as they look to save the people of France and the world from their would-be oppressors.
Who Will Appear in Netflix’s Castlevania Sequel Series?
The original Castlevania animated series starred Richard Armitage, Alejandra Reynoso, and James Callis as Trevor, Sypha Belnades, and Alucard Tepes respectively, but they’ll head to the sidelines for Nocturne as Edward Bluemel voices Richter and Pixie Davies joins him as Maria. Rounding out the cast are Thusa Mbedu, Sydney James Harcourt, Sharon D. Clarke, Richard Dormer, Iain Glen, Elarica Johnson, Nastassja Kinski, Zahn McClarnon, Aaron Neil, Franka Potente, and Sophie Skelton. It’s entirely possible that the original team – especially Alucard because of his role in Symphony of the Night – could appear in flashbacks, but this series seems to be a significant departure from the plot of the games especially without Dracula involved after his happy ending in Castlevania Season 4.
Instead of Warren Ellis who wrote and co-executive produced the original anime, Nocturne comes from showrunner Kevin Kolde and writer and creator Clive Bradley. Sam Deats and Adam Deats will take on directing duties for the spinoff. They’ll have some massive shoes to fill considering Castlevania stands as one of the best video game adaptations to ever grace the small screen. If the stunning animation and action from Powerhouse Animation are any indication, this promises to be another strong showing from the classic Konami franchise.
Castlevania: Nocturne premieres on Netflix on September 28. Check out the trailer below.
via Collider