Despite the fact that most video game to movie adaptations end up bombing, we all keep hoping one movie will rise above and really shine. For me that hope was Castlevania. I have to admit a little bit of bias here. The very first day I owned a Nintendo (that’s the old school Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)), Castlevania was a game and franchise that kept my attention all the time.
Last year we got the announcement that Rogue Pictures was working on a big screen adaptation of the video game series, but there was a catch. Paul W.S. (“not the good one”) Anderson was the one working on the script. If the man couldn’t make a combination of Alien and Predator work, what hope did we have for a whip-wielding vampire hunter?
Well, happy days are here again! While Anderson did write the script for the movie, he has not been tapped to direct the film. That honor goes to Sylvain White, director of Stomp the Yard. Now, before you pass judgement based on Yard, consider this – White has also been tapped to direct the big screen adaptation of Frank Miller’s “Ronin.” For some reason, he’s quickly becoming the go-to guy for adaptations.
The Variety article announcing White’s post shares that White grew up playing the Castlevania games and is drawn to the idea of making a more period Vampire hunter movie (as opposed to Blade or Underworld which are set in modern times). It also states that White will be working with Anderson on script rewrites, which reminded me of my favorite part of this story – scripts can be rewritten. If White isn’t happy with something, he can ask for a rewrite. If Anderson can’t satisfy what White wants to make, we very well might end up with a movie devoid of Anderson’s contributions. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
