Duke Nukem Might Be Lighting Up Your TV Soon
By Tuin
Aug 20, 2025
Duke Nukem isn’t done yet. The bombastic hero from the ’90s shooter scene is about to make a return, not with a game this time, but with a TV (or maybe animated) adaptation in the works. Adi Shankar, the mind behind *Devil May Cry* and *Castlevania* on Netflix, has acquired the rights from Gearbox. He says he wants to keep Duke Nukem raw, rebellious, and absolutely unfiltered.
Shankar didn’t buy the game rights, just the TV and film rights, which means this won’t be a direct continuation of any recent game. He’s been clear: “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.” He believes a corporate team making Duke would kill what the character was always meant to be.
There’s no release date or attached network publicly confirmed yet. It could go animated, it might not. Shankar’s reputation suggests something edgy, maybe wild. If past work is anything to go by, expect action, adult humor, and a version of Duke that reminds long-time fans and critics why he became legendary in the first place.
With so many videogame adaptations missing the mark, this feels like a gamble. But Duke doesn’t work with subtle. He works loud. If this show nails the tone, wisecracks, alien devastation, and unapologetic one-liners, Duke could finally step from the realm of cult icon into something more. Either way, it is going to be one hell of a ride.
Shankar didn’t buy the game rights, just the TV and film rights, which means this won’t be a direct continuation of any recent game. He’s been clear: “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.” He believes a corporate team making Duke would kill what the character was always meant to be.
There’s no release date or attached network publicly confirmed yet. It could go animated, it might not. Shankar’s reputation suggests something edgy, maybe wild. If past work is anything to go by, expect action, adult humor, and a version of Duke that reminds long-time fans and critics why he became legendary in the first place.
With so many videogame adaptations missing the mark, this feels like a gamble. But Duke doesn’t work with subtle. He works loud. If this show nails the tone, wisecracks, alien devastation, and unapologetic one-liners, Duke could finally step from the realm of cult icon into something more. Either way, it is going to be one hell of a ride.