Adi Shankar Explained

Adi Shankar should not be confused with Adi Shankaracharya.

Adi Shankar
Birth Name:Aditya Shankar
Birth Date:1985 1, df=yes
Birth Place:Kolkata, India[1]
Nationality:American
Occupation:Filmmaker
Yearsactive:2010–present

Aditya Shankar (born January 8, 1985) is an Indian-American film producer, screenwriter, film director, television program creator, television showrunner, and occasional actor. In the 2010’s he was best known for Dredd, Castlevania and his "Bootleg Universe" One-Shot series of fan films. In the 2020s, he reinvented himself as a TV series auteur with critically acclaimed Netflix series such as The Guardians of Justice,, and the upcoming Devil May Cry. He remains the youngest producer to have a number one film at the North American box office with the 2012 film The Grey.[2]

In 2014, Shankar ranked number 20 on GQ magazine's list of "Most Influential Global Indian Men".[3] He co-founded the production company 1984 Private Defense Contractors.[4]

Early life

Aditya Shankar was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, to a banking executive and an educator.[5] His family spent his formative years relocating among Chennai, Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.[6] He immigrated to Rhode Island, USA by himself at the age of 15 two days before 9/11. Shankar studied communications, business, and theater at Northwestern University and graduated in June 2007.[7]

Career

His Bootleg satires include ,[8] [9] Venom: Truth in Journalism, and Power/Rangers.[10]

In 2015, Shanker signed a three-picture deal with Disney's Maker Studios.[11]

Influences

For his controversial "Bootleg Universe" Shankar cites British street artist Banksy as a major influence.[12] In addition, Shankar frequently cites rapper Eminem, writer Warren Ellis, artist Takashi Murakami, wrestler Diamond Dallas Page and Final Fantasy VII character Sephiroth as artistic and stylistic influences.[13]

"The Apu problem"

In April 2018, Shankar started a script contest which he hoped would encourage people to rewrite The Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon "that takes the character of Apu and in a clever way subverts him, pivots him, intelligently writes him out, or evolves him".[14] He stated that, in the event that the show's producers will not take on the winning script, he would produce and distribute the episode as part of his "Bootleg Universe" fan films.

On October 26, 2018, Shankar leaked during an interview with IndieWire that Apu was going to be written out of the show, stating that he got the information from two people who work for The Simpsons and a third source who works directly with creator Matt Groening.[15] A representative for the show at Fox responded, saying, "Apu appeared in the 10/14/18 episode "My Way or the Highway to Heaven"." In the episode, Apu makes an appearance as one of dozens of characters gathered around God in Heaven. On October 28, Simpsons executive producer and show runner Al Jean responded on Twitter by saying: "Adi Shankar is not a producer on the Simpsons. I wish him the best but he does not speak for our show."[16]

The character was absent from the show for two years, and on Jan 17, 2020, Hank Azaria announced he was stepping down from the role of Apu permanently. Shankar has stated that he was against the cancellation of the character: "Silencing Apu is a step sideways. It doesn't undo the damage, address the damage or benefit the show's 'creativity.' It just removes another brown face from TV."[17]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleStudio/DistributorNotes
2010Main StreetExecutive ProducerMagnolia Pictures
2011Machine Gun PreacherRelativity Media
The GreyOpen Road
2012DreddLionsgate
Killing Them SoftlyThe Weinstein Company
Gangs of WasseypurCinelicious PicsShankar also Presented the international release.
2013Broken City20th Century Studios
Lone SurvivorUniversal Pictures
2014The VoicesProducer
A Walk Among the TombstonesExecutive ProducerUniversal Pictures
2017BodiedProducerNeon

Television

YearTitleRoleDistributorNotes
2017–2021CastlevaniaShowrunner
Executive producer
NetflixEnded After 4 Seasons
2022The Guardians of JusticeCreator
Co-Director
Executive producer
Showrunner
Co-Writer
Limited Series
2023Executive Producer
2023[18] Creator
Showrunner
Executive producer
Voice actor
Story Writer
2024Devil May Cry[19] Creator
Showrunner
Executive producer
Story Writer
Assassin's Creed[20] Executive producer
Hyper Light Drifter[21] Executive producer TBA
PUBG[22] Creator
Showrunner
Executive producer

"Bootleg Universe" One-Shot Films

Year Title Length GenreNotes
2012 9 min 50 seconds Action/Crime Thomas Jane reprises his role as Marvel anti-hero Frank Castle aka the Punisher from the 2004 film.
2013 Venom: Truth in Journalism 17 min 8 seconds Crime/Comedy In a black and white homage to cult Belgian black comedy Man Bites Dog and set in the late 1980s, Ryan Kwanten stars as Spider-Man's nemesis Eddie Brock / Venom as he is followed around by a documentary film crew. In a post-credits sequence, Shankar portrays rival documentary video director Sunil Bakshi, who is similarly following around the assassin Ben / Bullseye and filming him execute people.
2014 Judge Dredd: Superfiend 26 min 32 seconds Action/Comedy An animated re-interpretation of Judge Dredd in the form of a violent Saturday morning cartoon. Does not take place in the continuity of the Shankar produced 2012 Judge Dredd film Dredd.
2015 Power/Rangers 11 min 45 seconds Action/Sci-Fi A dark reimagining of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that explores a timeline where the Rangers lost, starring James Van Der Beek and Katee Sackhoff, with Carla Perez reprising her role as Rita Repulsa from various Power Rangers series from 1994 to 1998.
James Bond: In Service of Nothing 10 min 55 seconds Spy/Action An animated short film in the style of a film animatic, where after 30 years in the agency, James Bond is no longer required for his services leading to his retirement as he tries adjust himself to a new life in the present.
2018 Mr. Rogers: A War Hero 14 min 06 seconds Biopic A "What if?" scenario based on the longstanding rumor where Fred Rogers served in the Vietnam War and based several characters on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from his wartime comrades
2019 The End of Pokemon 5 min 25 seconds Action/Thriller An animated fake trailer for a dark epilogue to the Pokémon anime series.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SHATTERING THE MOLD: Producer Adi Shankar Offers A Glimpse Inside His World! . March 11, 2014 . Icon vs. Icon . May 27, 2017 .
  2. Web site: Castlevania Season 2 Executive Producer Adi Shankar. October 25, 2018. Bertschy. Zac. Anime News Network.
  3. Web site: Producer and Go-Getter Adi Shankar Talks Diversity and the Need for Integrity in the Film Industry. February 7, 2015. Thomas. Steff. Galo Magazine.
  4. Web site: 1984 Private Defense Contractors Boards 'The Voices' (EXCLUSIVE). McNary. Dave. Variety. April 10, 2013. June 29, 2016.
  5. Web site: Indian shade in The Grey . Vallikappen . Ankita Pandey . March 9, 2012 . . July 6, 2017 .
  6. Web site: Who are these 'Power/Rangers' guys? . Leopold . Todd . March 2, 2015 . . July 2, 2017 .
  7. Web site: Adi On Advertising . Liu . Leona . January 23, 2007 . . February 8, 2014 .
  8. Web site: Producer Adi Shankar Talks TRUTH IN JOURNALISM Short, the Success of DIRTY LAUNDRY, Casting Ryan Kwanten, Shared Universes, and More . Weintraub . Steve . July 31, 2013 . . February 8, 2014 .
  9. Web site: Topic Galleries . https://archive.today/20130828224829/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-adi-shankar-brad-pitt-20130808,0,2456994.story . dead . August 28, 2013 . Chicagotribune.com . February 8, 2014.
  10. Web site: 'Dredd' Producer Teaches You the Painful Truth About Filmmaking . Miska . Brad . March 6, 2015 . . The Collective . February 8, 2014 .
  11. Web site: Adi Shankar Signs 3 Picture Deal With Maker Studios. April 10, 2013. The Wrap. Sneider. Jeff. October 5, 2015.
  12. News: 'Dredd' EP Adi Shankar on His New Bootleg 'Judge Dredd' Miniseries. October 27, 2014. VideoInk. July 2, 2017.
  13. Web site: 'Castlevania' Netflix producer Adi Shankar talks video games and the epic movie-mashup he never made . Vincent . Brittany . July 7, 2017 . . July 20, 2017 .
  14. Web site: Apu Screenwriting Contest: Crowdsourcing the Cure for The Simpsons (2018). writers.coverfly.com. en. 2018-10-30.
  15. Web site: 'The Simpsons' Is Eliminating Apu, But Producer Adi Shankar Found the Perfect Script to Solve the Apu Problem . O'Falt . Chris . October 26, 2018 . . October 29, 2018 .
  16. Jean . Al . Al Jean . AlJean . 1056684110867918848 . October 28, 2018 . Adi Shankar is not a producer on the Simpsons. I wish him the very best but he does not speak for our show. . October 29, 2018.
  17. Web site: Drury . Sharareh . 2020-02-26 . As 'The Simpsons' Silences Apu, South Asian Creatives Hope for Character's Authentic Revival . 2024-01-06 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  18. Web site: 'Far Cry' Anime Series Set at Netflix, Streamer Picks Up Adi Shankar's 'Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix' (EXCLUSIVE). Joe. Otterson. Variety. June 11, 2021.
  19. Web site: Devil May Cry Anime Series Coming to Netflix . John . Atkinson . November 17, 2018 . October 17, 2021 . Screen Rant .
  20. Web site: Assassin's Creed Is Getting An 'Anime Series' . Luke . Plunkett . May 7, 2017 . September 29, 2018 . . . November 5, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181105190858/https://kotaku.com/assassins-creed-is-getting-an-anime-series-1796634653 . live .
  21. Web site: Hyper Light Drifter TV series in the works from creator Alx Preston and Castlevania's Adi Shankar . Matt . Patches . March 28, 2019 . March 28, 2019 . .
  22. Web site: A 'PUBG' Animated Series Is Coming From 'Castlevania's Adi Shankar. . 23 July 2021 .