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 creator and auteur with critically acclaimed Netflix series such as The Guardians of Justice, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, 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]
Adi Shankar | |
|---|---|
 Shankar at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Aditya Shankar 8 January 1985 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Producer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
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 The Punisher: Dirty Laundry,[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.[15]
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"."[15] 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
| 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 | |
| A Walk Among the Tombstones | Executive Producer | Universal Pictures | ||
| 2017 | Bodied | Producer | Neon |
Television
| 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 | Castlevania: Nocturne | Executive Producer | ||
| 2023 | Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix[18] | Creator Showrunner Executive producer Voice actor Story Writer | ||
| 2024 | 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 |
"Bootleg Universe" One-Shot Films
| Year | Title | Length | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Punisher: Dirty Laundry | 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. |