Adi Shankar
{{short description|Indian producer}}
{{distinguish|Adi Shankaracharya}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Adi Shankar
| image = Adi Shankar cropped.jpg
| caption = Shankar at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
| birth_name = Aditya Shankar
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1985|01|08}}
| birth_place = Kolkata, India{{cite web |url=http://www.iconvsicon.com/2014/03/11/shattering-the-mold-producer-adi-shankar-offers-a-glimpse-inside-his-world/ |title=SHATTERING THE MOLD: Producer Adi Shankar Offers A Glimpse Inside His World! |last= |first= |date=March 11, 2014 |website=Icon vs. Icon |publisher= |access-date=May 27, 2017 |quote=}}
| nationality = Indian
| occupation = Filmmaker
| yearsactive = 2010–present
}}
Aditya Shankar (born January 8, 1985) is an Indian film producer, screenwriter, film director, television program creator, television showrunner, and occasional actor.
In the 2010s he was best known for producing Judge Dredd film Dredd, developing animated series Castlevania, and his "Bootleg Universe" fan films. In the 2020s he became known for creating Netflix series such as The Guardians of Justice, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, and 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.{{cite web|title=Castlevania Season 2 Executive Producer Adi Shankar|date= October 25, 2018|last1=Bertschy|first1=Zac|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2018-10-25/castlevania-season-2-executive-producer-adi-shankar/.138622|website=Anime News Network}} In 2014, Shankar ranked number 20 on GQ magazine's list of "Most Influential Global Indian Men".{{cite web|title=Producer and Go-Getter Adi Shankar Talks Diversity and the Need for Integrity in the Film Industry|date=February 7, 2015|last1=Thomas|first1=Steff|url=http://www.galomagazine.com/movies-tv/producer-and-go-getter-adi-shankar-talks-diversity-and-the-need-for-integrity-in-the-film-industry/|website=Galo Magazine}} He co-founded the production company 1984 Private Defense Contractors.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/1984-private-defense-contractors-boards-the-voices-exclusive-1200343509/|title=1984 Private Defense Contractors Boards 'The Voices' (EXCLUSIVE)|last=McNary|first=Dave|work=Variety|date=April 10, 2013|accessdate=June 29, 2016}}
Early life
Aditya Shankar was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, to a banking executive and an educator.{{cite web |url=http://www.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20120309-332470.html |title=Indian shade in The Grey |last=Vallikappen |first=Ankita Pandey |date=March 9, 2012 |website=AsiaOne |publisher= |access-date=July 6, 2017 |quote=}} His family spent his formative years relocating among Chennai, Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/02/entertainment/feat-power-rangers-shankar-kahn/index.html |title=Who are these 'Power/Rangers' guys? |last=Leopold |first=Todd |date=March 2, 2015 |website= |publisher=CNN |access-date=July 2, 2017 |quote=}} He immigrated to Rhode Island, USA by himself at the age of 16 two days before 9/11. Shankar studied communications, business, and theater at Northwestern University and graduated in June 2007.{{cite web |url=https://dailynorthwestern.com/2007/01/24/archive-manual/adi-on-advertising/ |title=Adi On Advertising |last=Liu |first=Leona |date=January 23, 2007 |work=The Daily Northwestern |publisher= |access-date=February 8, 2014 |quote=}}
Career
His Bootleg satires include The Punisher: Dirty Laundry,{{cite web |url=http://collider.com/adi-shankar-venom-truth-in-journalism-interview/ |title=Producer Adi Shankar Talks TRUTH IN JOURNALISM Short, the Success of DIRTY LAUNDRY, Casting Ryan Kwanten, Shared Universes, and More |last=Weintraub |first=Steve |date=July 31, 2013 |website=Collider |publisher= |access-date=February 8, 2014 |quote=}}{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-adi-shankar-brad-pitt-20130808,0,2456994.story |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130828224829/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-adi-shankar-brad-pitt-20130808,0,2456994.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 28, 2013 |title=Topic Galleries |publisher=Chicagotribune.com |date= |accessdate=February 8, 2014}} Venom: Truth in Journalism, and Power/Rangers.{{cite web |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3335071/dredd-producer-teaches-painful-truth-filmmaking/ |title='Dredd' Producer Teaches You the Painful Truth About Filmmaking |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=March 6, 2015 |website=Bloody Disgusting |publisher=The Collective |access-date=February 8, 2014 |quote=}}
In 2015, Shankar signed a three-picture deal with Disney's Maker Studios.{{cite web|url=http://www.thewrap.com/maker-studios-signs-adi-shankar-to-3-picture-directing-deal-exclusive/|title=Adi Shankar Signs 3 Picture Deal With Maker Studios|date=April 10, 2013|website=The Wrap|last=Sneider|first=Jeff|accessdate=October 5, 2015}}
= Influences =
For his controversial "Bootleg Universe" Shankar cites British street artist Banksy as a major influence.{{Cite news|url=https://thevideoink.com/dredd-ep-adi-shankar-on-his-new-bootleg-judge-dredd-miniseries-986a2e9f4c30|title='Dredd' EP Adi Shankar on His New Bootleg 'Judge Dredd' Miniseries|date=October 27, 2014|work=VideoInk|access-date=July 2, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=October 2018}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://mic.com/articles/181636/castlevania-netflix-producer-adi-shankar-talks-video-games-and-the-epic-movie-mashup-he-never-made |title='Castlevania' Netflix producer Adi Shankar talks video games and the epic movie-mashup he never made |last=Vincent |first=Brittany |date=July 7, 2017 |publisher=Mic |access-date=July 20, 2017 |quote=}}
= "The Apu problem" =
{{Not to be confused with|The Problem with Apu}}
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".{{Cite web|url=https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/80|title=Apu Screenwriting Contest: Crowdsourcing the Cure for The Simpsons (2018)|website=writers.coverfly.com|language=en|access-date=2018-10-30}} 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.
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.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/simpsons-drop-apu-character-adi-shankar-1202015372/ |title='The Simpsons' Is Eliminating Apu, But Producer Adi Shankar Found the Perfect Script to Solve the Apu Problem |last=O'Falt |first=Chris |date=October 26, 2018 |website=IndieWire |publisher= |access-date=October 29, 2018 |quote=}} A representative for the show at Fox responded, saying, "Apu appeared in the 10/14/18 episode "My Way or the Highway to Heaven"." 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."{{cite tweet |last=Jean |first=Al |author-link=Al Jean |user=AlJean |number=1056684110867918848 |date=October 28, 2018 |title=Adi Shankar is not a producer on the Simpsons. I wish him the very best but he does not speak for our show. |access-date=October 29, 2018}}
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."{{Cite web |last=Drury |first=Sharareh |date=2020-02-26 |title=As 'The Simpsons' Silences Apu, South Asian Creatives Hope for Character's Authentic Revival |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/as-simpsons-silences-apu-south-asian-creatives-hope-characters-authentic-revival-1272222/ |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! class="unsortable" | Studio/Distributor ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
| 2010
! scope="row" | Main Street | rowspan="8" | Executive Producer | |
| rowspan="2" | 2011
! scope="row" | Machine Gun Preacher | |
| scope="row" | The Grey
| |
|---|
| rowspan="3" | 2012
! scope="row" | Dredd |Lionsgate | |
| scope="row" | Killing Them Softly
| |
| scope="row" | Gangs of Wasseypur
|Shankar also Presented the international release. |
| rowspan="2" | 2013
! scope="row" | Broken City | |
| scope="row" | Lone Survivor
| |
| rowspan="2" | 2014
! scope="row" | The Voices | Producer | Also played John |
| scope="row" | A Walk Among the Tombstones
| Executive Producer |Universal Pictures | |
| 2017
! scope="row" | Bodied | Producer |Neon | |
| 2024
! scope="row" | Ick | Producer |[TBD] | |
= Television =
= [[Adi Shankar's Bootleg Universe|"Bootleg Universe"]] One-Shot Films =
| class="wikitable" | |||||
| Year | Title | Length | Genre | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Punisher: Dirty Laundry | 9 min 50 seconds | Action/Crime | Writer / Producer | 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 | Writer / Actor / Producer | 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 | Producer | 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. |
| rowspan="2" | 2015 | Power/Rangers | 11 min 45 seconds | Action/Sci-Fi | Producer / Actor | 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 | Writer / Producer* {{cite web |last1=Adi |first1=Shankar |author1-link=Adi Shankar |title=IN SERVICE OF NOTHING [BOOTLEG UNIVERSE] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wOhtAtastk |website=youtube.com |publisher=Adi Shankar |language=en |format=video |date=March 5, 2015}} | 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 | Publisher*{{cite web |last1=Adi |first1=Shankar |author1-link=Adi Shankar |title=MR. ROGERS: A WAR HERO [BOOTLEG UNIVERSE] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab0D0gKlsdA |website=youtube.com | publisher=Adi Shankar |language=en |format=video |date=March 20, 2018}} | 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 | Producer | An animated fake trailer for a dark epilogue to the Pokémon anime series. |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|3021774}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/user/AdiShankarBrand The Bootleg Universe] on YouTube
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Adi}}
Category:American people of Indian descent
Category:American people of Bengali descent
Category:American businesspeople
Category:Northwestern University alumni
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Indian emigrants to the United States