"You're an inspiration for birth control."
It seems after working on a Castlevania, Far Cry 3, and Devil May Cry animated series for Netflix, Adi Shankar is turning his attention to another video game franchise- Duke Nukem.
In an interview with Esquire, Shankar revealed that he'd acquired adaptation rights from Gearbox.
"I bought the rights to Duke Nukem. Not the gaming rights, but I bought it from Gearbox," he revealed.
He continued, "It's a middle finger to everybody. When Duke Nukem blew up, a bunch of people sat around trying to turn it into a brand, when it's just a middle finger. Duke Nukem can't be made by a corporation, because the moment a corporation makes Duke Nukem, it's no longer Duke Nukem. I don't intend on having anyone tell me what to do on this one."
Based on those comments, it's unclear if this adaptation is heading to Netflix or some other platform.
The Duke Nukem franchise boasts over 20 distinct titles, spanning from its 1991 debut to Duke Nukem Forever (2011) and various spin-offs. This extensive catalog includes main series games, console exclusives like Time to Kill, and numerous ports, highlighting its long and diverse history in gaming.
The enduring popularity of Duke Nukem can be credited to a perfect storm of bold design choices and unforgettable personality.
Unlike the silent protagonists that dominated early first-person shooters, Duke stood out with his outrageous bravado, crude humor, and endlessly quotable one-liners, turning him into a cult gaming icon almost overnight.
Released in 1996, Duke Nukem 3D pushed the genre forward with its highly interactive environments, allowing players to flush toilets, smash mirrors, and explore destructible spaces in ways previously unseen.
Its non-linear level design encouraged creativity and rewarded exploration, while the game’s arsenal, featuring inventive weapons like the Shrink Ray, made every firefight uniquely memorable.
Add to that a heavy dose of edgy humor, pop culture nods, and an unapologetically over-the-top tone, and it’s clear why the Duke Nukem series carved out a distinct legacy in gaming, especially during the golden age of 1990s PC shooters.
Adi Shankar has built a reputation for crafting stories steeped in stylized violence, mature themes, and gritty, hard-edged storytelling, qualities that align perfectly with the bombastic world of Duke Nukem. Known for pushing boundaries, Shankar often takes familiar properties and reimagines them through a darker, more adult lens.
For instance, his Bootleg Universe fan films, including the viral POWER/RANGERS, showcase his flair for transforming established franchises into bold, satirical, and R-rated interpretations.
With Duke Nukem’s over-the-top action, crass humor, and love of excess, Shankar’s vision could be exactly what’s needed to bring the character to life.