Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Jujutsu Kaisen season 3
Anime Shows New anime in 2026: the biggest upcoming and ongoing shows, including release dates
Attack on Titan, Haikyu, and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Anime Shows Best anime: 25 shows to watch in 2026
Devil May Cry 5 screenshot of Dante on a bike.
Devil May Cry Who needs a Nintendo Direct with ratings boards leaking multiple Switch 2 titles, seemingly including Devil May Cry 5
Dan Da Dan season 2: Okarun and Momo getting ready for a fight during Dan Da Dan season 1 episode 8.
Anime Shows Best anime on Netflix: 30 shows to stream in 2026
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run
Anime Shows 5 reasons why you need to pay attention to AnimeJapan 2026, including possible Steel Ball Run answers
Nicholas Galitzine as He-man in Masters of the Universe
Fantasy Movies The new Masters of the Universe trailer is here, and its colorful, epic-looking action is warming my millennial heart
Shadow (Keanu Reeves) in Sonic 3
Movies Every upcoming video game movie you need to know about in 2026 and beyond
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunner has "mixed feelings" about season 2's timely political focus
Jinu and Rumi in KPop Demon Hunters' McDonalds ad
Animated Movies KPop Demon Hunters 2 may still be years off yet, but at least we have this new short to literally whet our appetite
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Anime Shows Cyberpunk: Edgerunners season 2: Everything we know about CD Projekt Red's anime
Demon Slayer
Anime Shows Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle release date, review, recap, and everything else you need to know
Elden Ring
Fantasy Movies Elden Ring movie release date speculation, cast, director, and more
Stranger Things: Tales from '85 cast
Animated Shows New Stranger Things: Tales from '85 trailer is giving us serious Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed vibes
Dan Da Dan season 3: three kids standing together in blue light during Dan Da Dan season 2
Anime Shows Dan Da Dan season 3: release date, story speculation, and everything else we know about the Netflix anime
Marvel's Blade concept art by Sergey Kolesov and Jean-Luc Monnet showing Blade overlooking a quarantined Paris at night
Action Games Marvel's Blade: Everything we know so far
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Anime Shows
  4. Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry producer says he wanted the new Netflix anime to feel "like a Hollywood blockbuster" inspired by The Matrix and Christopher Nolan's Batman

News
By Mireia Mullor Contributions from Ashley Bardhan published 31 March 2025

It's all about "psychological realism"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Dante in Netflix's Devil May Cry
(Image credit: Netflix)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Netflix's new Devil May Cry anime adaptation was inspired by some of the most iconic Hollywood blockbusters of the early noughties, according to showrunner Adi Shankar.

In an exclusive interview with GamesRadar+ ahead of the release of the show, Shankar mentioned The Matrix and Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy among some of his biggest references while creating this new title in the beloved franchise.

"What I wanted to do with this was three things. First of all, the original anime was very much like a monster of the week-style format, until you got to the last three episodes – then it was an arc. But this one, I wanted it to feel like a giant movie, like a Hollywood blockbuster from between 1999 and 2004. References being The Matrix, Underworld, Bad Boys, Equilibrium – I could go on, and on, and on. But I wanted it to feel like a Hollywood blockbuster, and, really, I wanted the audience to experience Devil May Cry in that mold," he told GamesRadar+.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Devil May Cry season 2 Netflix's Devil May Cry season 2 shares new look as showrunner promises an unpredictable follow-up
  • Dante and Virgil in Devil May Cry season 2 Surprisingly emotional new Devil May Cry season 2 teaser goes back to brothers Dante and Virgil's childhood
  • Roman Reigns as Akuma in Street Fighter Street Fighter game director teases "very smart" movie adaptation in new behind-the-scenes featurette

Shankar said he made the decision to set the story "in the real world" in order to approach it "with psychological realism". In this sense, another big pop culture reference came to mind.

"It was inspired by Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, because it's Batman – it's the Batman you know, [Nolan] didn't, like, make any wild changes or anything. But he's setting it in the real world, right? It's not in this, like, Tim Burton world. It's not in this Joel Schumacher world. It's not in a cartoon world. It's in the real world," the showrunner explained.

"The reason for that [decision to set Devil May Cry in New York City], actually, is the DMC franchise, at its core, is – the characters are all rooted in tragedy, their backstories are. So, I think moving into the real world allowed that tragedy to become even more relatable and even more grounded in reality, and grounded in psychological realism," he added.

The synopsis for the eight-episode show reads, "Sinister forces are at play at the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon hunter for hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck."

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Devil May Cry will arrive on Netflix on April 3, 2025. Check out our Devil May Cry release schedule to know when all episodes drop on streaming, and see our list for the most anticipated new anime coming soon.

If that wasn't enough, we also have guides to the best anime and best anime on Netflix too to keep your watchlist stocked.

CATEGORIES
Netflix Streaming Services
Mireia Mullor
Mireia Mullor
Social Links Navigation
Contributing Writer

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.

With contributions from
  • Ashley BardhanSenior Writer

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Devil May Cry season 2
Anime Shows Netflix's Devil May Cry season 2 shares new look as showrunner promises an unpredictable follow-up
 
 
Dante and Virgil in Devil May Cry season 2
Anime Shows Surprisingly emotional new Devil May Cry season 2 teaser goes back to brothers Dante and Virgil's childhood
 
 
Roman Reigns as Akuma in Street Fighter
Action Movies Street Fighter game director teases "very smart" movie adaptation in new behind-the-scenes featurette
 
 
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again showrunners took "what worked and didn't work" from season 1 to build season 2
 
 
Christopher Nolan with his Oscars for Oppenheimer
Movies Christopher Nolan says he has "very, very significant concerns" about the Warner Bros. Netflix sale
 
 
Dan Da Dan season 2: Okarun and Momo getting ready for a fight during Dan Da Dan season 1 episode 8.
Anime Shows Best anime on Netflix: 30 shows to stream in 2026
 
 
Latest in Anime Shows
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run
Anime Shows JoJo's fans are responding to Steel Ball Run's disastrous release by trying to curse Netflix
 
 
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run
Anime Shows Steel Ball Run release plans get an update confirming at least one more JoJo's episode in 2026
 
 
Witch Hat Atelier
Anime Shows Witch Hat Atelier is getting a same-day English dub and a double-episode premiere
 
 
Jujutsu Kaisen
Anime Shows Jujutsu Kaisen actor responds after viewers point out Culling Game error: "We'll fix it"
 
 
Jujutsu Kaisen
Anime Shows Jujutsu Kaisen season 4 release date speculation, teaser, cast, and Culling Game Part 2's story
 
 
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run
Anime Shows 5 reasons why you need to pay attention to AnimeJapan 2026, including possible Steel Ball Run answers
 
 
Latest in News
Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is on track to beat Project Hail Mary for the biggest opening weekend of 2026 so far
 
 
Marathon Thief shell in dark lighting
FPS Games Marathon just buffed the best loot you can find outside Cryo Archive and nerfed the Thief exploit
 
 
An apparent teaser for a project called Nier: Cosmic Horror
Action RPGs Square Enix announces "Nier: Cosmic Horror" on April 1, chaos ensues, Yoko Taro eats pho noodles
 
 
The Crew
Racing Games Ubisoft sued over The Crew shutdown by French consumer group backed by Stop Killing Games
 
 
The Super Mario Bros. Show
Animated Movies AI "upgraded" versions of the 1989 Super Mario Bros. cartoon are airing now on MeTV, and the results aren't pretty
 
 
Spike closely staring at the camera in a Mario Kart World screenshot.
Super Mario Mario Kart World's Bullet Bill power-ups "actually work like they're supposed to" now, players say
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Marathon Thief shell in dark lighting
    1
    Marathon just buffed the best loot you can find outside Cryo Archive and nerfed the Thief exploit
  2. 2
    Square Enix announces "Nier: Cosmic Horror" on April 1, chaos ensues, Yoko Taro eats pho noodles
  3. 3
    Elder Scrolls Online will feel like a new MMO, with naval combat, solo dungeons, and a return to Skyrim underway
  4. 4
    Final Fantasy 14 lost me with Dawntrail, but The Elder Scrolls Online promises to mend my broken heart
  5. 5
    Ubisoft sued over The Crew shutdown by French consumer group backed by Stop Killing Games

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...