It's been a long wait since the fourth season of Castlevania ended in May 2021, but a new series is finally on the horizon. The newest Castlevania animated series will be a direct sequel titled, Castlevania: Nocturne and will be set many years after the events of the first series that followed the adventures of Sypha and Trevor Belmont.
Previously, during Netflix's Geeked Week back in 2021, the online fan event revealed that the new Castlevania series would be set in 1792 France after the first series was set in 1455 Romania. The new series will follow the exploits of Richter Belmont, arguably one of the most famous Belmonts in the Castlevania games after Simon Belmont.
In the upcoming animated series, Richter Belmont is much further down the family tree than Sypha and Trevor's son that fans learned about in the previous series' finale.
The series is also set to star Maria Renard, who appeared with Richter in the 1993 TurboGrafX-16's Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. In addition to that classic game, Richter was also the protagonist of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Nocturne's voice cast will feature Edward Bluemel as Richter Belmont, Thuso Mbedu as Annette, Pixie Davies as Maria Renard, Elarica Johnson as Drolta, Nastassja Kinski as Tera, Zahn McClarnon as Orlox, Franka Potente as Erzsebet Bathory and Sophie Skelton as Julia Belmont.
Previously, Netflix released 4 seasons of its Castlevania series with the first season premiering on July 7, 2017, while the fourth and final season premiered on May 13, 2021. Each season has 10 episodes, except for the second season, which has 8 episodes.
Nocturne will be released on September 28, 2023, and will consist of 8 episodes.
Netflix's Castlevania was very well-received. It has a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 139 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The show has also been praised by critics for its animation, voice acting, action sequences, characterization, themes, and writing.
However, the pacing, particularly of the third and fourth seasons, garnered a polarized response.
Castlevania: Nocturne Official Synopsis: New series focusing on Richter Belmont origin story feat. vampires in the French Revolution.
The gory and gothic adventures of the Castlevania franchise continue with an exciting new setting and their highest stakes yet. A gripping story of love and loss, Nocturne marks an evolution to the original fan-favorite Castlevania Netflix Series. Featuring a never before seen origin story of Richter Belmont (gaming icon, and one of the Franchise’s most beloved characters).
France, 1792 — the height of the French Revolution. In a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who promises to ‘eat the sun’ and unleash an army of vampires and nightcreatures to crush the revolution and enslave humanity. Annette, a sorceress from the Caribbean, seeks out Richter Belmont, last descendant of the long-fabled family of vampire hunters, to lead the resistance.
Led by showrunner Kevin Kolde and Creator/Writer Clive Bradley. Produced by Project 51 Productions with production services provided by Powerhouse Animation.
If you’ve never seen a Castlevania show, gaming adaptation, or anime before: start here.