Castlevania

The film will focus on the origins of Dracula and the uprising of the Belmont Clan -- a vampire-slaying family who become humanity's last hope.

LATEST NEWS

11/09/06
Rogue Pictures has joined the $50-million dollar project and will distribute through North America. They're currently scouting locations in Hungary and Romania, with hope to begin filming next spring.

7/01/06
Writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson spoke to IGN about the film, revealing more details on the story and what more fans can expect from the game-to-film adaptation. Here's what he had to say:

"It's going to explain how the Belmont clan and Dracula first come into contact, so in a way, it's going to be a genesis story of the clash between the Belmonts and Dracula. It's going to span the ages as well, which is one of the fun things about the games. There are Castlevania games in the 1500s, there are Castlevania games in the Second World War, there are Castlevania in the future, and we're going to take the same kind of approach. It's going to be a very mythic story spanning hundreds of years, but the key characters are going to be Dracula and Simon Belmont. And the whip is going to be intact, although there'll be lots of other weaponry as well." He also added how he'll keep the goth and romatic look of the game and incorporate it into the movie.

DETAILS

- Production is hoped to begin next spring.
- The film will supposedly have a lot of references to the game to please the fans.
- It's said that the story will span hundreds of years and focus mostly on Dracula and Simon Belmont.
- The interiors of the castle will be constructed in Budapest.
- Budgeted at an estimated $50-million.
- Rogue Pictures hopes that this will be the start of a new horror franchise for them.
- Described as in the vein of action-horror films such as Blade and Underworld.
- Director Paul W. S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Alien Vs. Predator) is also writing the script.
- Based on the classic Konami video game.

UPCOMINGHORRORMOVIES.com

I'm surprised Uwe Boll isn't directing this.

Well I like the spanning the decades angle and focusing on Simon (although I assume he'll only be referenced for 80% of the film as he wouldn't be around during the first Belmont/Dracula clash and should be dead in later chapters of the story). The only thing I don't like is Paul W.S. Anderson as writer/director. I very much doubt he has another Event Horizon in him.

I can't believe they found $50 million dollars for this.

We can't cure cancer, we have people starving and dying in Africa, but we found 50 mil for a CASTLEVANIA movie.

It's Paul Anderson. How can we tell?

And how does this guy keep finding work?

He keeps getting funding because his movies generally make money.

The Resident Evil films have been very profitable (the first two each made over 100 million in theaters worldwide, along with huge dvd sales)

AVP cleaned up nicely enough to get a sequel greenlit.

How much have you've given to any cancer research lately?

You lost me at:

I still think that I made the perfect thread title for this subject in my old thread

Die Paul WS Anderson, you don't belong in this world!
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread....ht=castlevania


Oddly enough, I posted that thread a little more than one year ago.

actually i'm surprised this hasn't been made years ago..... and as far as curing cancer and better use of $$... what about all of the negative ads for the elections? that would pay for the homeless across the entire world i would think every 2 years....

Castlevania Update

Anderson gives IGN an exclusive update.

January 23, 2007 - The big-screen version of Castlevania, based on the classic Konami game, could start filming as early as this fall, according to writer/producer/director Paul W.S. Anderson who recently spoke to IGN.

"We are still finalizing the budget," Anderson said, "but if all goes according to plan we are eyeing a fall/winter shoot in Transylvania and Hungary." The fall or winter shoot is planned, Anderson explained, because the production wants snow on the ground for the film's forest scenes.

Anderson told IGN that Castlevania will be shot in Transylvania because it is the true birthplace of Vlad Tepes and the Dracul'a myth, and because of the natural landscape. "It has some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen," Anderson told IGN. "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."

Interior castle shots will be filmed in Budapest. "They have the huge sound stages required for the labyrinthine castle sets that make up much of the movie," the filmmaker explained.

Anderson says that post production and effects work will be completed in London.

IGN.com

Damnit! It's got vampires and a game I used to play. Have to see it now.

People hate Paul W.S. Anderson around here, but I don't mind him. Some of his films have been terrible (Event Horizon), but most are fairly enjoyable. I liked Resident Evil, for instance, and I even thought Aliens vs Predator was decent.

In other words, this could very well be a fun popcorn flick.

Let's see: I can either go the theaters and sit through this for 2 hours or I can stay home and play Symphony of the Night for 2 hours. Such a hard choice.

It's funny you think Event Horizon was terrible, because most people who hate him name that as the sole film they like of his.

I think he's quite tolerable actually. Although I feel AvsP was fairly abismal.

Of all the video-game-to-movie translations, this is one of the few I could see working as a film. It's basically a retelling of the Dracula story, and as long as the main character is named Something Belmont and has a whip, you've pretty much nailed it. I think Resident Evil was okay as well, since you really only needed zombies, STARS and at least one of the game's characters.

It's not like you have to try to make some sense out of a pair of plumbers who save the world or a bunch of fighters with magical powers duking it out on an island.

Hey!

He did OK with both "Event Horizon" and "Mortal Kombat".

And two movies that are watchable puts him light years above ol' Uwe Boll.

Event Horizon sucked massive.

Mortal Kombat, was the single best videogame adapation. Don't think so? Look at the sequel that he didn't write / direct.

Resident Evil was alright - same as above though, the sequel sucked.

Event Horizon was pretty good except for the ending. I thought the first 2/3 of it made up for the ending.

I liked both Resident Evil movies and I'm looking forward to the next one. Both could have been better but by no means did I think they were bad.

AVP was the biggest load of crap movies to come out. How the hell do you screw up AVP. I tell you how. First you make it PG13, then add terrible actors, then sprinkle it with poor effects.

I liked Mortal Kombat. I wasn't a big fan of any of the other movies Anderson made, although I didn't think Alien vs. Predator was as awful as some here are saying (I bought it). Still... not holding out a lot of hope.

His best were Event Horizon and Mortal Kombat. Resident Evil and Soldier were watchable. AVP had maybe 15-20 minutes that were actually entertaining and a whole lot of wasted potential. His script to Resident Evil Apocalypse was beyond horrid. Is there anything else he's done? I don't remember.

I don't think you can do a video game movie unless you go someplace really weird with it. They always miss the point, they try to replicate the game's atmosphere in the movie, and they always mess it up or take it too seriously, or just make it less fun than playing a game.

Kind of like "Doom." This is a game about the gate to hell opening on a space ship. Stupid filmmaker thinks he's making "Alien." His production team perfectly replicates the drab set of endless spaceship corridors from the game, and his climax looks like watching someone play the game.

If it was me, the climax would have involved "rocket jumping."

"Castlevania" would be a lot of fun if it was treated as a campy "Dracula meets Indiana Jones" kind of thing. Instead, Paul W.S. Anderson thinks he is making "The Fountain."

Anyone seen Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)? My favorite horror film, it reminded me of Castlevania with the 18th/early 19th century setting and Kronos (played by Horst Janson) even looks like Simon/Trevor! his attire is similar to Alucard's too.

How will they find enough androgynous men to play the various vampires and other pretty boy characters from the games?