This has been a banner year for video game adaptations, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie being the first movie to earn $1 billion at the 2023 box office, and Five Nights at Freddy’s set to bloody up the Halloween season, while Twisted Metal gave streaming audiences a wild ride on the small screen. And now, Netflix has finally confirmed the impending existence of an anime Devil May Cry TV series, with the promise that we won’t be waiting all that much longer for it to arrive. Let’s rock, baby!
Before we even start getting into the nitty gritty about what to expect from the first Devil May Cry TV show to come out of the U.S. — a Japanese anime series was produced in 2007 — everyone should pass their all-seeing eyes on the first teaser for the new series. Not much is there, mind you, but is still enough to get fans hyped about seeing more in the near future. Check it out below!
I’d love to get stuck in an elevator with this version of Dante and Chainsaw Man’s Denji. So many positive noises.
Unconfirmed news of Devil May Cry’s existence was first touted by series creator Adi Shankar, who was already confirming at the time that the new show will feature ties to his other Netflix anime video game adaptation, Castlevania. That connective tissue doesn’t appear to be part of Netflix’s announcement, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do indeed share canon.
Netflix describes the new show, based on Capcom’s hugely popular franchise, as revolving around dark and sinister forces attempting to open the portal that exists between the demon and human realms. As players are well-aware, the entity at the center of that hectic situation is Dante, a flashy demon hitman of sorts, who remains unsuspecting of the fact that the fate of both rests squarely on his presumably muscular shoulders. The inspiration for the tale, understandably, is Dante’s Inferno.
With Studio MIR handling the animation, Devil May Cry will have Alex Larsen as head writer. (Larsen is also working with Shankar on the long-anticipated animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix.) Here’s what Shankar had to say about the newly confirmed project:
I'm honored that Netflix and Capcom have entrusted me to shepherd the DEVIL MAY CRY franchise. Alex Larsen and I love these characters, we are part of the fandom, and vow to surpass the exceptionally high bar we set for ourselves.
Even though Castlevania has been largely embraced by fans of all types, that obviously doesn’t guarantee that Devil May Cry will garner the same kind of respect and admiration. That’s less of a knock against Shankar, and more of a comment about the game franchise’s fandom in general, since there have been multiple memorable points over the years when the fanbase flipped out over changes and additions to the gameplay and lore. Which I suppose is the case for plenty of games, but the DMC crowd can get particularly vicious. But Shankar and Larsen are no doubt clued in on such viewpoints, and are hopefully aiming to squash any potential complaints with sheer anime excellence.
No release date has been set just yet, but those with Netflix subscriptions will be able to stream Devil May Cry in full soon. Check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are popping up soon.
