The poster for the film.
In the 2000s (assumingly 2007), it was announced by Rogue Pictures that a film adaptation of the video game series Castlevania was in the works, originally scheduled to release in late 2008.
Plot[]
A Transylvanian knight leads his men into a haunted castle to seek refuge from the Turkish Army around the bases of Hungary and Romania. They end up unleashing Dracula and this starts a generational conflict between the vampire and the Belmont Clan.
A longer version of the plot: "The land of Transylvania has been at peace for 100 years now, and the peasants and villagers have begun to purge their minds of the memories of the times when the lands were dominated by chaos and shadows, and when the undead walked the earth... However, there are those that remember that the evil Count Dracula returns every 100 years to plague the land, bringing with him the forces of Hell... Thus, one evening, the King of Darkness rises and returns to Castlevania, his ancestral home, calling forth his minions to purge the world of human flesh. The people cry out for a hero — someone to defend them from the evil desires of the Count. Thankfully, they don't have to look very far, for within the land of Transylvania the Belmont line still lives, as Simon Belmont, great-grandson of Christopher Belmont, takes up the legendary whip called the Vampire Killer, and sets forth on his journey through the darkened countryside to the dark lord's castle... Upon arrival, the young man fights his way through legions of zombies, gigantic bats, and even faces Death himself, but in the end, he makes it to the Count and in a battle to end all battles, he comes out the victor... The price? The evil master places a curse of death upon Simon, which will lead him into a long and dangerous journey in the near future".
Development[]
In November 2005, Crystal Sky Pictures acquired the rights to adapt Castlevania. They attached Paul W. S. Anderson to write and direct the film adaptation, with production slated to begin in mid-2006. Later in the month, Dimension Films entered negotiations with Crystal Sky for North American distribution of the game. The film was estimated to have a budget of $50 million. In July 2006, producer Jeremy Bolt explained that the film would "integrate a Dracula origin story... with the story of the Belmonts." he also said that the film would refer back to early versions of the games. Anderson reiterated Bolt's description, adding that Dracula and Simon Belmont would be key characters in the film. Anderson also indicated that the "very lush, Romantic, Gothic look" of the 3D incarnations of the game would be used in the film. He also expressed his hope in using the games' composer, Michiru Yamane, to score the film.
On November 2006, Rogue Pictures replaced Dimension Films, who reneged over script differences, in handling North American distribution of Castlevania, with Crystal Sky handling international distribution. Anderson described the film as taking place in many time periods, but primarily in 15th Century Transylvania. The director and producer Jeremy Bolt had scouted locations in Hungary and Romania, with plans to build castle interiors in Budapest. Photography was slated to begin in spring 2007. On January 2007, director Anderson said the studio was still finalizing the film's budget, and filming would begin in fall or winter in Transylvania and Hungary. According to the director, the filming was postponed because production had desired snow on the ground for the film's forest scenes. Anderson described the locations; "It was like discovering Mordor as a real location -- epic, dramatic, and above all scary. These locations haven't been shot properly in a mainstream movie, so that is always extra exciting... to put something on camera that hasn't been seen before." The director also revealed that post-production and effects work for the film would be done in London.
On June 2007, Anderson conceded directing duties to Sylvain White in order to take on the project Death Race. White, who played the Castlevania video game in the early 1990s, was attracted to the prospect of filming a vampire film. White explained, "Most of the vampire films have been present or set in the future, from Blade to Underworld and I was attracted by the chance to make a dark, epic period movie that almost has an anime feel to it." The new director, who negotiated a salary of seven figures, will rewrite the script with Anderson's assistance. Production of Castlevania was slated to begin in late fall 2007 in South Africa and Romania. On October 2007, Anderson said that he hoped to have a script within two or three weeks before the onset of the 2008 Hollywood strike. Producer Jeremy Bolt said that production was intended to begin in spring 2010. Wan intends to put his own spin on the earlier scripts. A few months later it was reported that Anderson was still circling the project. In 2012, while promoting Resident Evil: Retribution, Paul W. S. Anderson stated that he would like to make it; however, the rights are an issue.
Why It Was Cancelled[]
- The screenplay went under many significant rewrites.
- Steven Paul took strike on the film during the writers' strike (and possibility of a screen actors' guild strike).
- Relativity Media, one of the distributors for the film, was later sold.
Results[]
- The film was permanently cancelled, the last real announcement or update on the actual film was way back in 2009.[1]
- A TV series of the same name, Castlevania, was released in 2017.
- The entire script for the film was found at one point on the Internet Archive, and is 102 pages long, written by former director Paul W.S. Anderson.[2]
- In July 2023, James Wan posted on Instagram about having spoken with Nicolas Cage back in 2009 about possibly playing the role of Count Dracula for this film.[3]
Gallery[]
