Warren Ellis Castlehumi S3 Interview: Dracula Gone, Alucard Sad

Io9: Judging by the first season, the reaction there at the time of its release has another level, even compared to the success of the first season. With the show's high acceptance, would there be pressure coming into season three that – I'm sorry, I can't think of another way to say this – to raise the stats, as it were?

Warren Ellis: HA! Yes I saw it coming and I was laughing. (Still laughing). However … I didn't see any of that. To this day, I'm not sure if anyone has watched season two except for a few of us. So there was no pressure on me, & # 39; cos I was completely vacuum. I don't really know how the second season was received – or, as I said, if anyone actually watched it! The only downside was the pressure I felt struggling with the third season. And you know, I hope three people who watch season two stick with it for another season. Kevin may have a different angle to it. You talk to people, I don't like it. They kept me in the basement.

Kevin Kolde: Yes, I'm good on the same page! I think we felt the pressure stemming from the success of season two. It was so great considering the excitement, that we were lucky to work with such a great group of people and just love doing this. It's not like it was there (pressure) – they were gung-ho. "Season three, let's go." So yes, not really.

Io9: One of the great things that happened in Season 2 is that our heroes suffered great evil, went to Dracula's palace, fought … and was defeated. I really don't want to be "dead" because, well, Dracula, and you know how that happened. How is it now done by Dracula absence, in search of a better name, a longer stay in the new season?

Ellis: Ah, that was a trick, wasn't it? Because I didn't know we would get a third season. I thought, "Well …shit, I'd rather end up in season two! ”Netflix then requested a third season, which was a thrill. And it's amazing. And it's wonderful. And one of those, "Oh, shit" moments you always enjoy as a writer. That means, as soon as we got the third year gift, they came to me, because all these people were painted beside Dracula and Lisa and Godbrand – the cool god Godbrand. I had all those actors playing throughout the chunk of the hemisphere, actually. And I felt like most of those characters still had a lot of places to go, and the arcs weren't perfect.

Isaac is an outcast, because, yes—that it was closed-end. There was a lot of completion in the arc in the second season for him, but not for everyone. And it became clear to me that with the extra season, I could do something for everyone. So, the show is now getting more involved with the stories produced by the characters themselves. That original engine is gone, but now I have seven or eight larger engines. And all those characters are equally entertaining to me as Dracula does.

Kold: I think that's also a conspiracy, right? That allows those character stories to come forward because Dracula is no longer there – and how does that affect the kind of trip they are on? So, she's not there but she is very much in the mood, in the inspiration and nose that these characters are doing.

Io9: One thing that might surprise people into Season 2, the subtle kind of change to be where we are and spend more time with the characters just talking – there was a lot more character-driven arcs than actually doing the action that was a big part of the first season. Now that you have all these different "engines", what is the balance between this character focus and the action side The castlegumi in the third season?

Kold: It has always been interesting to gauge – I think season three works on both of those things. We have ten episodes instead of eight, so we have a lot of characters, and obviously we get to spend more time worrying about those characters, and understanding their journey. That requires being able to talk! Which, for me, was one of the best episodes, actually, of season two, and now season three. I love the way Warren writes these characters, and their dialogue is interesting. It's hard to be animated because we have no acting in the film, for the actors. We've got some really good players, but we have to make that fun with a cartoonish idea – a credit to our director, Sam Deats and the good storyboard artists (Powerhouse). But I think it's a good balance, I'm always striving to have that balance. I think the action means nothing if we don't care about the characters in their stories.

Ellis: Kevin saved it. My first reaction was, "No, the balance is shocked!" I'm at a point where I've experienced this, and felt things I've done wrong. But to add to what Kevin says and please ignore the previous sentences – we have these amazing players, and the performance they gave us has been so creative and rich that they have brought me a new way. And of course, there's a lot of character exploration that really comes from the roles that actors play in their new, established works – things that have given us something to think about. We have The castlegumi fragments of the synthetic set. I've always wanted that – but my first line of notes was "The time of year is psychedelic horror." Horical Psychedelic also comes with other aspects of speech and philosophy. It becomes cerebral, and the sensations in its own way. I like to think of it as a richer, heavier season than season two. Not least because we have a lot going on and lots of active characters, and we're introducing a lot of characters that will work with our returning members.

Kold: I don't think anyone will be disappointed. If you're ready for this action, I think you'll be more than happy to have seen the trailer. If you're in the letters and doing the best, you're ready for more management.

Ellis: I think I have about half the good jokes on this one, too.

Io9: At the end of last season Sypha and Trevor split up for Alucard, and he stays back at his stepfather's back to deal with the trauma of everything that happened to him. So, while they continue to do their best hunting-seeking stuff we saw in the trailer, what can you despise about Alucard this season?

Ellis: Yes, he is the star of the show. Right now, he is very sad. You are sadly overwhelmed in the castle. You mourn the river in sorrow. She is sad in the woods. I mean, you know. You're a card.

io9: Those three episodes of the story at least there.

Ellis: You know, it's like – I was there, maybe. But you get a couple more! He gets the young man and woman he needs because … I don't know how much money I can get, but they have a history of vampires back home in northern Japan. And they would like Alucard to teach them to fight vampires. So he ceases to be a part of the collaboration in season two until he becomes part of the third season teaching – which is a big change for him. He must interact with people, which he has never been good at. On the other hand, no one there calls him a cock. So, all is well with Alucard.

Io9: This season, there are a lot of citizens to focus on – you touch Isaac, but Carmilla does his own thing. What can you tell us about her journey?

Ellis: Yes, as Kevin pointed out, now there is a vacancy in Eastern Europe. Dracula is gone. The night creatures are scattered, the vampire army is defeated. Great old vacuum. But Carmilla, Syrian's whereabouts, has been relatively stable since it was run by him and his three vampire cohorts. Four Syrian vampire sisters have done it for years. It's solid. But everything east Styria is not. So Carmilla sees an opportunity – an opportunity to add her own garden, I would say so.

Kolde: Also, we get to meet three vampire sisters that I think people will really enjoy. Crazy characters mentioned by Yasmine Al Massri, Jessica Brown Tholalay … so, I guess, people want to be treated.

Ellis: Listening to the recording sessions, just listening to all four of them go together was amazing. I want to say those moments have gone a long way because of the number of laughs between the four of them. But yeah, the team from Stenria was definitely something.

The castlegumi returns for the third season on Netflix this Thursday, March 5. Stay tuned for more in our conversation with Warren Ellis and Kevin Kolde later this week, and our full, worrying thoughts about the new season soon!