Adi Shankar | |
|---|---|
 Shankar at the 2013San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Aditya Shankar (1985-01-08)8 January 1985 (age 41) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Aditya Shankar (born 8 January 1985) is an Indian and American film producer, screenwriter, film director, television program creator, television showrunner, and occasional actor.
In the 2010s he was best known for producing theJudge Dredd filmDredd, assisting in developing the animated seriesCastlevania, and for creating his "Bootleg Universe" series offan films. In the 2020s, he became known for producing theNetflix seriesThe Guardians of Justice,Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, andDevil May Cry.
He remains the youngest producer to have a number one film at the North American box office with the 2012 filmThe Grey.[2] In 2014, Shankar ranked number 20 onGQ magazine's list of "Most Influential Global Indian Men".[3] In 2010 he co-founded the production company 1984 Private Defense Contractors.[4]
Aditya Shankar was born inKolkata,West Bengal,India, to a banking executive and an educator.[5] His family spent his formative years relocating amongChennai,Mumbai,Hong Kong, andSingapore.[6] He immigrated toRhode Island, USA by himself at the age of 16. Shankar studied communications, business, and theater atNorthwestern University and graduated in June 2007.[7]
HisBootleg satires includeThe Punisher: Dirty Laundry,[8][9]Venom: Truth in Journalism, andPower/Rangers.[10]
In 2015, Shankar signed a three-picture deal with Disney's Maker Studios.[11]
For his controversial "Bootleg Universe" Shankar cites British street artistBanksy as a major influence.[12] In addition, Shankar frequently cites rapperEminem, writerWarren Ellis, artistTakashi Murakami, wrestlerDiamond Dallas Page andFinal Fantasy VII characterSephiroth as artistic and stylistic influences.[13]
In April 2018, Shankar started a script contest which he hoped would encourage people to rewriteThe Simpsons characterApu 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.[15]
On 26 October 2018, Shankar leaked during an interview withIndieWire that Apu was going to be written out of the show, stating that he got the information from two people who work forThe 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"."[15] In the episode, Apu makes an appearance as one of dozens of characters gathered around God in Heaven. On 28 October,Simpsons executive producer and show runnerAl Jean responded onTwitter by saying: "Adi Shankar is not a producer on theSimpsons. 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 17 Jan 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]
| Year | Title | Role | Studio/Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Main Street | Executive Producer | Magnolia Pictures | |
| 2011 | Machine Gun Preacher | Relativity Media | ||
| The Grey | Open Road | |||
| 2012 | Dredd | Lionsgate | ||
| Killing Them Softly | The Weinstein Company | |||
| Gangs of Wasseypur | Cinelicious Pics | Shankar also Presented the international release. | ||
| 2013 | Broken City | 20th Century Studios | ||
| Lone Survivor | Universal Pictures | |||
| 2014 | The Voices | Producer | Lionsgate | Also played John |
| A Walk Among the Tombstones | Executive Producer | Universal Pictures | ||
| 2017 | Bodied | Producer | Neon | Also played Campus Security Guard |
| 2024 | Ick | Producer | Fathom Entertainment |
| Year | Title | Role | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2021 | Castlevania | Showrunner Executive producer | Netflix | Ended After 4 Seasons |
| 2022 | The Guardians of Justice | Creator Co-Director Executive producer Showrunner Co-Writer | Limited Series | |
| 2023–2025 | Castlevania: Nocturne | Executive Producer | ||
| 2023 | Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix[18] | Creator Showrunner Executive producer Voice actor Story Writer | ||
| 2025 | Devil May Cry[19] | Creator Showrunner Executive producer Story Writer | ||
| TBA | Assassin's Creed[20] | Executive producer | ||
| TBA | Hyper Light Drifter[21] | Executive producer | TBA | |
| TBA | PUBG[22] | Creator Showrunner Executive producer | ||
| TBA | Duke Nukem[23] | Creator Showrunner Executive producer |
| Year | Title | Length | Genre | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Punisher: Dirty Laundry | 9 min 50 seconds | Action/Crime | Producer | Thomas Jane reprises his role as Marvel anti-hero Frank Castle aka thePunisher from the 2004 film. |
| 2013 | Venom: Truth in Journalism | 17 min 8 seconds | Crime/Comedy | Producer | In a black and white homage to cult Belgian black comedyMan Bites Dog and set in the late 1980s,Ryan Kwanten stars as Spider-Man's nemesisEddie Brock /Venom as he is followed around by a documentary film crew. In apost-credits sequence, Shankar portrays rival documentary video director Sunil Bakshi, who is similarly following around theassassinBen / Bullseye and filming him execute people. |
| 2014 | Judge Dredd: Superfiend | 26 min 32 seconds | Action/Comedy | Producer | An animated re-interpretation ofJudge Dredd in the form of a violent Saturday morning cartoon. Does not take place in the continuity of the Shankar produced 2012Judge Dredd filmDredd. |
| 2015 | Power/Rangers | 11 min 45 seconds | Action/Sci-Fi | Producer | A dark reimagining of theMighty Morphin Power Rangers that explores a timeline where the Rangers lost, starringJames Van Der Beek andKatee Sackhoff, with Carla Perez reprising her role asRita Repulsa from variousPower Rangers series from 1994 to 1998. |
| James Bond: In Service of Nothing | 10 min 55 seconds | Spy/Action | Producer[24] | 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 | Producer[25] | A "What if?" scenario based on the longstanding rumor whereFred Rogers served in theVietnam War and based several characters onMister Rogers' Neighborhood from his wartime comrades |
| 2019 | The End of Pokemon | 5 min 25 seconds | Action/Thriller | Producer[26] | An animated fake trailer for a dark epilogue to the Pokémon anime series. |
| Cancelled | Superman Vs. the Ku Klux Klan[27] | Producer | Based on the bookSuperman Versus the Ku Klux Klan byRick Bowers. |
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