Following his critically well-received animated series adaptations of the “Castlevania” and “Devil May Cry” franchises, producer/showrunner Adi Shankar has another game franchise in his sites to adapt for the screen.
IGN reprots that Shankar has acquired the screen rights from Gearbox Software to the “Duke Nukem” franchise. Participating in an interview with Esquire, he indicates something based on the legendary franchise is currently in the works:
“I’m being approached with different IPs and companies that want to work with me. I bought the rights to Duke Nukem. Not the gaming rights, but I bought it from Gearbox.”
The 1990s game franchise involved a blond action hero who went around shooting aliens and platforming, but also served as a metacomedy skewering action movie tropes.
Multiple games were made, most notably 1996’s “Duke Nukem 3D,” while 2011’s infamous “Duke Nukem Forever” was heavily criticized by critics and fans. There has not been a new installment since.
Shankar is already developing ideas for the project which may go a different route than his Netflix animated shows. Just which route though is unclear, but suffice it to say he wants full creative control:
“I don’t intend on having anyone tell me what to do on this one. It’s a middle finger to everybody. When Duke Nukem blew up, a bunch of people sat around trying to turn it into a brand, when it’s just a middle finger. Duke Nukem can’t be made by a corporation, because the moment a corporation makes Duke Nukem, it’s no longer Duke Nukem. I don’t intend on having anyone tell me what to do on this one.”
Shankar has other game adaptations in the works including an “Assassin’s Creed” series and an animated “PUBG” series.
