Highlights
- Netflix's successful adaptation of Castlevania shows that the same anime treatment could work well for Dead Space, providing a sci-fi alternative to the vampire fantasy.
- Dead Space's supernatural elements and lore make it a natural fit for a similar anime adaptation, allowing for creative storytelling and exploration of the game's universe.
- A Dead Space anime could take a different perspective on the broader story and expand beyond the game's canon, potentially featuring cameos and new interpretations of characters and events.
As Netflix shows no signs of slowing down with its gaming adaptations, it should set its sights on giving Dead Space the same anime treatment that Castlevania has received as the two series share various parallels and ultimately could provide a sci-fi alternative to the vampire fantasy. Between Netflix's initial four seasons of Castlevania and now its most recent spin-off Castlevania: Nocturne, the anime adaptations have already drawn inspiration from across Castlevania's timeline of stories and characters from Alucard to Richter Belmont. While Castlevania: Nocturne ended on a cliffhanger ahead of its second season, Netflix may find it difficult to keep up this momentum with Castlevania alone.
But while Netflix has announced a breadth of different video game adaptations in recent years both live-action and animated, it's difficult to know whether these projects are still in progress or are stuck in development. For instance, despite announcing that Castlevania's producer Adi Shankar had acquired the rights to make a Devil May Cry animated series several years ago, Netflix has only recently revealed a teaser of the upcoming show. So to offer something different other than two video game series centered around monster hunting and demon-slaying, a Dead Space anime could be a novel contender for Netflix's growing library of adaptations.
Dead Space Would Fit Castlevania's Anime Approach
When Netflix released Castlevania's first series, it felt more like a pilot trial run as it consisted of just three episodes that just about established its main cast of characters while alluding to a bigger story to come. Yet between its unflinching embrace of violence and gore, dry quick-witted dialogue, and the characters' begrudging friendships, Castlevania became one of Netflix's various celebrated gaming adaptations. These same qualities, however, would also be right at home with Dead Space, especially for a game series whose cursed premise involves dismembering Necromorphs alongside shocking moments such as Dead Space 2's "stick a needle in your eye" scene.
But while Dead Space is a far cry from the magical fantasy landscapes that games like Castlevania and Devil May Cry come from, the sci-fi series still has supernatural parallels that a similar anime could draw from. The lore behind Dead Space's Necromorphs, Markers, Unitologists, and Brethren Moons offers many creative options that a new anime could use as a stepping stone from fantasy to sci-fi, especially when Shankar claims to be gradually building a "bootleg universe" that such an anime could be a part of. Through the same lens Castlevania used for its own characters and stories, Dead Space seems like a natural addition to Netflix's roster.
How Dead Space Could Be Adapted
While many players were likely already aware of Dead Space's twist in the first game regarding protagonist Isaac Clarke and his wife, the recently released remake will have inevitably refreshed everyone's memory. So should a Dead Space anime attempt to directly adapt Isaac's story just as Castlevania has with Trevor and Richter Belmont and Alucard, then it could instead take a different approach and provide a different perspective on the broader Dead Space story. Dead Space 2, for example, already leans on the first game's story and continues Isaac's hallucinations without needing a twist reveal.
How faithful to Dead Space's sci-fi horror blueprint its anime adaptation would be remains to be seen. Still, the series hasn't shied away from exploring the larger canonical universe as seen with Dead Space: Aftermath and Dead Space: Downfall. So in the same way that Castlevania took its own interpretation of the game's characters from Saint Germain to Richter's mother Julia Belmont, Dead Space could add, remove, or reinterpret the source material, such as expanding the story beyond Dead Space 3's cliffhanger ending. Moreover, there's even potential for Dead Space's own Infinite Corridor cameos after Castlevania teased visions of alien worlds with blood-red moons and giant space-age machines.