Castlevania has been one of the most popular animated Originals on Netflix, and it’s not hard to see why. But, with season 4 wrapped up, the Castlevania series is officially over. So where does that leave the future of the franchise on Netflix? It’s reported that Netflix is eyeing up a new Castlevania series, so below we’ll be discussing what we could possibly see from the potential next iteration of Castlevania on Netflix.
Castlevania is most well known for being one of the oldest video game franchises in history. The very first title released back in September of 1986, and the latest out of 29 titles was Lords of Shadows 2 in 2014.
Netflix surprised the entire world when Powerhouse Animation dropped the first season, earning itself some prestigious accolades, but most importantly the love of subscribers from around the world. Each subsequent season the series went from strength, earning its reputation as one of the best-animated series on Netflix.
Castlevania Season 5 Netflix Renewal Status
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Ended (Last Updated: 18/05/2021)
When Netflix first announced the release date for the fourth season of Castlevania, they also announced it would be the anime’s last season. Fans were rightfully disappointed that we wouldn’t see any more of Trevor Belmont, and his adventures with Sypha and Alucard but in April 2021 Deadline reported that Netflix is eyeing up a brand new Castlevania series with a brand new story, cast, and characters.
Why did the original Castlevania series come to an end?
The series wasn’t “canceled” as some people on social media believe. The story of Trevor Belmont and his fight against Dracula and the forces of evil came to a natural end.
Prior to season 4, the future of the series had been thrown into doubt when the series creator, writer, and executive producer Warren Ellis faced sexual misconduct allegations. Ellis’s last contribution to Castlevania was finishing the scripts but had no further involvement in the rest of the production, and as reported by Deadline he has not been featured in the conversations surrounding the new series.
When will the new series be set?
Thanks to the fact that the Castlevania video-game franchise has existed since the mid-1980s, amassing over two dozen video games in its 35-year history, there’s no shortage of inspiration for the new series.
The timeline of Castlevania spans hundreds of years, from the end of the 11th century all the way to the 18th century. There have been many heroes in the Castlevania games, but it’s more than likely that story would be based around one of the four following members of the Belmont Clan;
- Leon Belmont (Ancestor of Trevor) – 11th Century
- Christopher Belmont (Descendant of Trevor) – 16th Century
- Simon Belmont (Christopher’s Great-Grandson) – 17th Century
- Richter Belmont (Simon’s Grandson) – 18th Century
Netflix could opt to pursue a prequel series, paving the way to tell the origin story of Leon Belmont, the rise of the Belmont Clan as famous vampire hunters, and most importantly, the origin of Vlad Tepes aka Dracula. The story of Leon Belmont took place in the late 11th century.
Leon Belmont – Copyright. Konami
While not the most popular of the Belmont Clan, Christopher would be a very intriguing character to base the series around. In the video-game timeline, Christopher faces Dracula 100 years after his ancestor Trevor Belmont had. The story of Christopher Belmont takes place in the 16th century.
Christopher Belmont on the artwork of Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge for the Game Boy – Copyright. Komani
Simon Belmont is the original hero of the Castlevania video games, so a series based on his exploits would more than do the character the justice he deserves. The story of Simon Belmont takes place in the 17th century.
Simon Belmont – Copyright. Komani
Finally, there is Richter Belmont, who was born over 300 years after his descendant Trevor. Richter’s adventures took place in the late 18th century, which would have a dramatically different aesthetic to the late middles ages Wallachia where Trevor lived.
Richter Belmont – Copyright. Komani
What about Lord of Shadows?
Lord of Shadows served as a reboot for the Castlevania video games and is separate from the timeline of the main story. The plot is centered around Gabriel Belmont, a member of the Brotherhood of Light, who as a holy knight goes on a quest to defeat the Lords of Shadow, and the ultimate evil.
As an entirely separate story to that of the original video game timeline, it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see the events of Lord of Shadows be adapted into the new Netflix Castlevania series.
The PS3 covers of Lords of Shadow and Lords of Shadow 2 – Copyright. Konami
When is the next Castlevania series coming to Netflix?
It’s still far too early to determine when the next Castlevania series is coming to Netflix. There was always a significant period of time in between each season of Castlevania, typically ranging between sixteen to eighteen months.
We must take into consideration that the production of the new series hasn’t even been confirmed yet. This means there is going to be a significantly long wait time for a new series.
At the earliest, we could see a Netflix release date in early 2023.
What do you want to see from the next Castlevania series on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!