Summary

In this exclusive interview, Castlevania: Nocturne directors Sam and Adam Deats talk to Collider’s Robert Brian Taylor about the show’s newly released second season.

The directors discuss the complex process of story development, character redesigns, and balancing power creep in the hit animated series.

The Deats brothers tackle topics ranging from where the Castlevania franchise could go next to which character sports the best head of hair this season.

Warning: This interview contains heavy spoilers for all of Season 2 of Castlevania: Nocturne.Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 dropped on Netflix this weekend, bringing the latest chapter of the animated vampire-slaying saga to fans worldwide. The new season picks up immediately after Season 1 ended, with famed vampire hunter Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel) and his magical allies Annette (Thuso Mbedu) and Maria (Pixie Davies) finding themselves quickly in need of a new plan after they, quite frankly, got their butts handed to them by the vampire queen Erzsebet (Franka Potente) in last season’s finale.
The good news is their crew of 18th-century fighters has some fresh blood this year. Alucard (James Callis), Dracula’s son and one of the primary players from Netflix’s original Castlevania series, cameoed at the very end of Season 1 to bail Richter out, but Season 2 of Nocturne fully restores everyone’s favorite half-human/half-vampire dreamboat as one of the franchise’s central characters. Richter’s grandfather, Juste Belmont (Iain Glen), who was briefly introduced last season, also joins the group full-time as the quintet enacts a plan to destroy Erzsebet, who’s possessed by the soul of the powerful Egyptian god Sekhmet. Action, adventure, and a whole lot of blood-letting ensues.
In this exclusive interview with Collider, brothers Adam and Sam Deats, who serve as Castlevania: Nocturne’s directors, as well as work on the show in a producing capacity, get spoiler-heavy as they talk to me about the new season’s next-level battles and giant plot twists. (It turns out that Erzsebet maybe isn’t the show’s main villain, after all!) We also discuss what they hope the future of the Castlevania franchise has in store, if they’d be interested in working on a video game that features their version of the Castlevania universe, and if it’s possible for all of these characters to become just too powerful.
With ‘Castlevania: Nocturne,’ Sometimes It Really Is All About the Hair

“He doesn’t even have to try. He just looks cool!”

Image via Netflix

COLLIDER: Before we get too into the weeds with spoilery stuff, I wanted to start off with a fun question that kept crossing my mind as I watched the new season: Which character do you guys think has the best hair this season? Because I thought Alucard was going to win this in a walk, but you guys really upped both Maria and Juste’s hair game this season.
ADAM DEATS: Man, that’s too hard. That’s too fucking hard. You can’t ask me that. The problem is that Alucard’s hair feels like it’s worked on all the time, right? And then Juste, he’s got an incredible mane, but it looks a little messier. I don’t think he’s going in there and doing all the hair work and the brushing that a normal person does.
SAM DEATS: Yeah, but he doesn’t even have to try. He just looks cool!
ADAM: That’s fair. But I will say that Drolta … do you count the tentacles on her head during her last transformation? [Laughing]
That’s a good question!
ADAM: And then Erzsebet has that almost Lion-O mane thing going on. It’s crazy long. It’s almost like a Knuckles situation.
So much good hair in this show.
SAM: I’m pretty proud of how much just Maria letting her hair down changed her whole vibe. So I’m going to go with Maria.
ADAM: Fair enough. I’m with you on that.
The Return of Drolta and How the ‘Castlevania’ Team Assembles a New Season

“There are lots of little things that we try to steer and nudge. Especially as Castlevania game fans…”

Image via Netflix

Okay, on to more serious questions. For me, the two biggest surprises of the season are (a) Drolta is brought back to the land of the living, and (b) not only is Drolta alive, but she — and not Erzsebet — really ends up being the show’s ultimate and most dynamic villain. Was that something that was talked about while you were making Season 1 of Nocturne, or was that a bit of a course correction that came later, maybe after evaluating what worked best in Season 1?
ADAM: I don’t think that was a course correction.
SAM: That was there from the beginning. Back in the original story proposal, way back when it was literally a handful of blurbs, there wasn’t a lot there as far as the dynamic between Erzsebet and Drolta. But, as very early development was happening, that ended up being the call, even before casting had really settled in. So, yeah, that was always kind of there. We went in kind of knowing people were going to love Drolta. We love Drolta. And that was kind of by design. We wanted people to gravitate towards her. We wanted people to be like, “What the fuck is up with Erzsebet?” And then we wanted to pull the rug out from under them.
I was hoping you guys could give me a sense of how the Castlevania team works and what the process is for coming up with the stories that drive a particular season. I know you two are the show’s directors. You’re in charge of the animation and the way the show looks, and you’re also producers. But Nocturne also has showrunners, including lead writer Clive Bradley. Do you all team up to crack an overall story before the writing team gets to work? Or do they bring ideas and pitch them to you? What’s the process between you guys and the writers for putting together a season’s story?
ADAM: For Nocturne, the showrunners came to us and pitched their idea basically, and then we gave notes wherever we could. One of the biggest influences that Sam had — with Nocturne in general, both seasons — was he actually suggested bringing Juste in. And so I don’t know if Juste had been there necessarily without Sam saying something early on. And there’s a bunch of little things, discussion-wise, that came up about character arcs, where we had a little influence. But the core foundation of it is still Clive’s team, and then all we do is kind of turn the dials a little bit.
SAM: I remember, in the original story proposal, the element of Maria summoning her magical beasts, the familiars that she has … that actually wasn’t present. That was something that we were very firm about, like, “Hey, we need to make sure that this is an important core part of her character. We can’t lose that.” And that ended up turning into being a big part of her character arc, particularly through Season 2 and potentially beyond. There are lots of little things that we try to steer and nudge. Especially as [Castlevania] game fans, we’re like, “Hey, this is something that we love. We want to talk about what is going to resonate with people.”
ADAM: Yeah, I would say the vast majority of our notes are: “Can we just line up with the games a little bit more?”
SAM: Yeah, what’s going to excite us as fans? And, in tandem, that would hopefully also resonate with other fans.
Putting Together ‘Castlevania’s Biggest Battle Ever

“But for 2D animation, what ends up being the best spectacle is when you have those personal battles…”

Image via Netflix

You talk about “dialing things up,” and I can’t even imagine the amount of work you two must have done on that big Paris battle that takes up most of Episode 7. I don’t think there’s any episode of any version of Castlevania that has ever had to track that many fighters and individual stories at once. How complicated was it to put all of that together?
ADAM: Oh my god. When we got the outline … yeah, it was terrible. Honestly, once we knew where it was going, we immediately flagged it. We were like, “This is going to be the hardest thing we’ve ever done.” And the problem is not just set-piece changes, but also crowds. Crowds are the worst thing you can do in 2D animation. It’s just too hard to do, and it’s a lot of effort. We just had to pre-plan as best as we could for as long as we could to ensure that it was functional by the end. It was not easy. It was a lot of trying to make sure that our shot choices hid things here and there, as best we could. Frankly, there’s a lot of duplicating crowds around in some places that were used in another shot.
SAM: There was an active effort to move beyond the big crowd stuff pretty early on in the episode. That is for multiple reasons. Number one, for practical reasons, we needed to not just focus on big crowds. In 2D animation, doing big crowds sucks. It’s incredibly hard, particularly for television animation. Number two is that, for live-action films, like Lord of the Rings and stuff, having armies clashing with each other is a big spectacle moment. But for 2D animation, what ends up being the best spectacle — the thing that always gets everyone’s eyeballs glued to the screen — is when you have those personal battles, when you have the small groups of characters that you’ve developed for a while fighting it out. Making sure that we set the stage for the focus to be on the group of characters fighting Erzsebet, then setting the stage for focusing on Alucard and Drolta fighting and so on — those were the things that took some careful planning and adjustments along the way to get right.
ADAM: It didn’t help that we broke a rule: You’re not supposed to have two complicated episodes right next to each other, and we did that, as well.
SAM: Yeah, Episode 8, the first half of it, as you know, continues being a difficult battle sequence. That was the one where you have the big final moment — the finisher. Those are particularly tricky. It worked out in the end.
So Alucard being back on the show full-time had to be like reuniting with an old friend. How much fun was it for you guys to play around with his power set and sneak some stuff in from the games and really show how much stronger he’s gotten over the centuries?
ADAM: It’s always a blast. We’re officially known to be Alucard shills. We love him. We do whatever we can to have him around, and we also miss James Callis. We’ve always loved working with that guy, so it was good to have him back in the booth just to talk with him and hang out with him.
SAM: We wanted to make sure that we dabbled in what Alucard has become capable of over his many years and lightly touch on how his age is reflected in who he is and show that character growth and that power set, particularly in that last episode when he kind of taps into his more vampiric side. But, at the same time, we wanted to be careful that he wasn’t completely stealing the show.
The Future of ‘Castlevania’ Is Cloudy But Hopeful

“I think there’s still a lot of confidence in the franchise as a whole…”

Image via Netflix

I don’t think it’s a secret that animation on Netflix or on streaming in general is in a bit of a precarious place right now. And unlike with Nocturne Season 1, Season 2 does not end on a huge cliffhanger. There are a few loose threads that could be picked up, but if this is the last time we see this group of characters, you do leave them in a pretty good place. Which forces me to ask: Where does everything stand with the Castlevania universe at large right now? And is the current hope to get a third season of Nocturne?
ADAM: You know, the Castlevania universe is a big place. Lots of places to go with it. There are definitely things that Sam and I would like to do, for sure. I think that we would like to do a Season 3, but there are a lot of things that could be done and places we could go. So who can say? I don’t know. The Netflix gods and the audience need to define that for us and help us figure out where we’re going next.
SAM: Certainly, we have tried to set the stage for and have always wanted to do a Symphony of the Night adaptation. But, as Adam said, there is a broad universe in Castlevania. This isn’t our first rodeo when it comes to the question mark in between seasons. When the second season of the original series came out, there was a couple-month lull where we were just waiting to find out if we were going to keep going with the series. Same thing happened after Season 4. There was interest in continuing Castlevania, but there was a question mark about it then, as well. I think there’s still a lot of confidence in the franchise as a whole, so we’ll see how things play out over the coming weeks. Regardless, I think there’s still a lot of love and a lot of places to go with the series that I think fans would love to see.

Related

‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ Director Offers Disappointing Season 3 Update

The animated series is available on Netflix.

Castlevania was obviously this huge video game series before it was a TV show. I know you guys are fans. Sometimes, it’s tough to tell what’s going on with Konami and Castlevania on the video game side of things, but have there ever been any talks about a new Castlevania game using the continuity and character designs of the show? And would that be something that you two would be interested in being involved with, if given the opportunity?
ADAM: Oh, man. We would absolutely be interested in it if they ever let us do it. And, the short version is, if that has ever come to our attention or if it’s hit our desks, we are not allowed to talk about it, unfortunately. [Laughing]
SAM: We don’t know a lot about what’s going on over on the Konami side of things. But we are huge fans, and we are excited to see Konami put out games like the Silent Hill 2 remake and Metal Gear Solid Delta. I see the gears turning, so I’m hoping for some vampire fangs in the future.

Image via Netflix

Okay, one more hypothetical: A spin-off movie or miniseries focusing on Juste’s younger days as a Belmont in his prime. Has that thought ever crossed your mind?
ADAM: We would love it.
SAM: In as much as saying, “It would be fun to do this.” It’s not really a full-blown thing, but it would be something I would be delighted to make happen, if it were to ever become possible.
ADAM: Yeah, I think it would be fun to do movies based on short-form stories we could tell, even if it’s like Leon Belmont or Juste Belmont, etc. We could tap into that universe for a bit and play there for a bit, but not extend ourselves for an entire two seasons or three or whatever because that’s a long haul. It’s really difficult. I like short-form stuff, too, because you can put more resources into a short-form thing, and it looks a little better, too. That would be a lot of fun.
SAM: The original series, the first season of it, famously was built as a direct-to-DVD movie back in the mid-2000s. And then direct-to-DVD kind of died, and it wasn’t until Netflix came along with Netflix Originals that it became a similar outlet for that type of storytelling. So the history of the Castlevania animated series is rooted in developing it as a movie or a movie series. It just depends on where folks think our audience are most likely to show up to the party.
Power Creep in ‘Castlevania’: A Problem … or Just Raising the Stakes?

“The reality is, you’re right, we have to up the game somehow.”

Image via Netflix

There’s this term that comes up a lot in video games and card games — but also sometimes in movies and TV — and the term is “power creep.” This is not a criticism, but it did dawn on me while watching this season just how much stronger all these characters are now. Richter has his full ancestral powers at his disposal. Drolta is out there in the sunlight. I count three different characters who end up inhabited by gods at different points during this season. And it crossed my mind that, man, if you pitted the Nocturne group against anyone from the early seasons of the original show, the Nocturne group would just destroy them in a cakewalk. I get why it happens — you need to raise the stakes. But I was wondering if you guys and the writers ever have discussions about power creep in Castlevania or have had concerns about characters becoming too overpowered?
ADAM: I have had those concerns. It’s mostly me, I think. I’m the one who usually brings them up. The truth is, it’s a really difficult dance. Because the reality is, you’re right, we have to up the game somehow. We have to bring something back that looks visually more exciting than before. That, unfortunately, requires characters to be insane. Sypha was already ridiculous in the first four seasons. She was basically the Avatar by the end of it. Trying to bring some of that stuff back and then one-up it a little bit is so difficult. And it’s also really difficult for us to animate most of the time.
SAM: Part of the problem is, as soon as we dropped a dragon in the show, it was like, “Oh, fuck, what are we going to do with the rest of these characters?” [Laughing] It is a difficult balancing act. I think it always comes down to the same thing, which is that we have to make sure that there are moments of vulnerability that the characters are affected by, things that happen that show that they are still — in the case of the human characters — squishy humans who could die at any given moment. That’s the tricky aspect of it. Trying to make sure we had something formidable enough for multiple Belmonts and Alucard and all these characters to face off with — that needed to be a formidable enough force to stand against. This isn’t necessarily Dracula that they’re fighting. We had to figure out how to navigate those waters, as well. So, yeah, it’s a tricky balancing act every time.
This season, you got to do some fun redesigns of existing characters. We get a few different versions of Drolta. We get god-infused Annette. As you mentioned already, Sam, Maria’s look changes as she starts dancing with darkness. Is it fun for you guys to get to reimagine characters and completely change the way they look for plot reasons? Do you ever worry about going too far with it?
SAM: It’s actually really delightful. I love it every time, and it’s helpful for a couple of reasons. Number one is we get to express their story-related changes through the artwork and the design. Number two is it gives us an opportunity to make subtle updates to designs that we know we’re having some trouble with. “The animators keep doing this thing with this character. What if we adjust the design so we don’t have to run into this problem, or we don’t have to correct this as often?” That sort of thing. It is a fun way to show a character’s growth, and it is also a helpful way for us to make adjustments to something that we would like to improve on. Richter is a good example. I kind of see him in terms of how we sometimes see shōnen protagonists in Dragon Ball or in Naruto or something like that. They have their early designs and then, even though the character isn’t really changing, their design still ends up being refined, just because the animators are adjusting it along the way little by little. That is something that you’re seeing in Richter’s design. Not only are we updating it to reflect his growth in strength and confidence, but also getting to make subtle adjustments like changing his hair a little bit, changing little parts of how we’re handling his silhouette and things like that — we get to express that growth and get him to the place where we know that we want him to be by the end.
ADAM: Yeah, particularly with Richter, Sam nudged his design towards his Rondo of Blood design. The sleeves get cut off, and he’s got the pop-collar situation going on. That’s all stuff that’s subtly getting back to the original design that he had back then.
Getting Geeky With the Deats Brothers About the ‘Castlevania’ Video Games

“Just throwing a thousand daggers really, really fast is fun and stupid.”

Image via Netflix

I have time for one more question, and since I asked you guys some tough ones that maybe you aren’t allowed to fully answer, I’m going to throw out another fun one to wrap up on. What’s your favorite classic Castlevania sub-weapon from the original games? We’ve got dagger, axe, holy water … what else is there? Stopwatch?
ADAM: So just the classics? Not the combination weapons from later?
Let’s go with the classics. Boomerang is one of them, right?
ADAM: Yeah, the boomerang cross! The boomerang cross is always my favorite in terms of its utility. It’s just so good. It’s also pretty busted in several of the games because it hits enemies multiple times. But my favorite visually is always the holy water because it just looks like a really cool Terry Bogard power wave on the ground. It’s just a little flame that trickles across the ground, and the visual design of that looks really fun.
SAM: I don’t think it’s any secret that, for me, the cross is one of my favorites, since I worked in a version of it for Trevor and then worked in a version of it for Richter now, too. But, when it comes to the item crashes, the dagger has always been something that I am delighted by. Just throwing a thousand daggers really, really fast is fun and stupid. Even though it’s never been the best one by any stretch, I just think it’s fun. And I was delighted to work it in… even though it’s not the dagger item crash, but Juste’s ice-cross that shoots ice needles very rapidly like a turret floating behind him? It’s not a sub-weapon necessarily, but there’s still the feeling of [the dagger] that I very much enjoyed working into the show, even if just briefly.
ADAM: And shout-out to the Symphony of the Night bouncing-diamond sub-weapon. That’s a really fun gimmick.
SAM: Really cool, but I wish it was more useful.
ADAM: Oh, it’s not good, but it’s really fun-looking.
Castlevania: Nocture Season 2 (along with its first season and four seasons of the original Castlevania show) is now streaming on Netflix.
Watch on Netflix

Richter Belmont, a descendant of the legendary vampire-hunting family, takes center stage as he confronts a resurgence of nightmarish creatures threatening humanity. Set in a richly detailed gothic universe, the series follows Richter’s journey as he hones his combat skills, discovers hidden truths about his lineage, and allies with other hunters. Each episode weaves together thrilling battles and deep lore, showcasing the relentless fight against the sinister forces that lurk in the shadows.

Release Date

September 28, 2023

Seasons

2

Story By

Clive Bradley

Writers

Clive Bradley
, Temi Oh
, Zodwa Nyoni

Franchise(s)

Castlevania

Showrunner

Clive Bradley
, Kevin Kolde

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