Castlevania: Nocturne passes the whip to Richter in September

A new Belmont takes up the whip and mantle for the animated Castlevania series soon. Powerhouse Animation Studios has announced that Castlevania: Nocturne will have its Netflix premiere on September 28.

A teaser image was posted from the Castlevania Twitter account earlier today, with the confirmed date. There’s another news beat on the way too, as a trailer for Castlevania: Nocturne will arrive on July 27.

It begins. Teaser trailer drops tomorrow. Castlevania: Nocturne premieres September 28, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/ut27pye3fp

— Castlevania: Nocturne (@Castlevania) July 26, 2023

Nocturne will follow Richter Belmont, the lead in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood who also appears in several other games. We don’t know too much more at this point, but the forthcoming trailer will probably illuminate what’s at stake. (Hold for applause.)

The original Castlevania run from Powerhouse followed Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Alucard in a loose adaptation of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. It soon veered off into its own story, tying in plot beats from Castlevania history ranging all the way to 2005’s Curse of Darkness. And it was, in my humble opinion, a pretty damn good series. The castle entrance fight in Season 2 is still an all-timer for me.

Streaming at large

Of course, this series arrives during a tumultuous time for streaming in general. Both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) are currently on strike over, among other complaints, disputes with streaming companies. Animated work is part of this issue too, as late night host Stephen Colbert recently noted at a WGA animation rally.

Neither the WGA nor SAG-AFTRA have called for a boycott at this time, so it doesn’t seem to affect Castlevania: Nocturne. But it’s an issue worth looking into and learning about. A lot of creative talent goes into making shows like these. It’s frankly amazing we get adaptations like Castlevania these days.