Cuphead is being adapted into a cartoon series called The Cuphead Show by Netflix Animation, with the help of the creators of the game.
Cuphead is a run and gun game that uses animation inspired by cartoons from the '30s, including the works of Max Fleischer and Walt Disney. The quality of the animation of Cuphead was matched only by the brutal difficulty of its gameplay, which earned it a vocal fanbase among the gamers who love a challenge. The incredible visuals of Cuphead make it look like a living cartoon, which makes it a perfect candidate for being turned into an animated series.
Studio MDHR (the developers of Cuphead) announced on Twitter that The Cuphead Show is being produced by Netflix Animation and that it will retain the '30s cartoon aesthetic. According to IGN, The Cuphead Show is being developed by King Features, Netflix Animation, and Studio MDHR, with the cartoon visuals being created using digital technology, rather than the hand-drawn animation that some fans of the game might have expected. The show is aimed at kids, with the inclusion of some of the subtle adult humor and references that were present in the game.
The Cuphead Show will be a comedy show that uses the same characters and setting from the Cuphead video game but will tell an original story of its own. The adventures of Cuphead and Mugman will be the focus of The Cuphead Show and there is currently no mention of an appearance by Ms. Chalice, who will be a playable character in the upcoming The Delicious Last Course DLC for the game. The creators of Cuphead have compared The Cuphead Show to Mickey Mouse's role in the old Disney cartoons, where his occupation often changed between different episodes and there was no strict continuity between them.
The Cuphead Show is the latest in a recent batch of video game adaptations that are in development for or are currently available on Netflix. The Castlevania animated series has been lauded as one of the best video game adaptations of all time and it has been renewed for a third season; a live-action show based on The Witcher is due to premiere at the end of the year; a Devil May Cry animated series has been announced for Netflix; a Resident Evil TV series that is separate from the continuity of the movies is in development; and a movie adaptation of Tom Clancy's The Division with Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal was recently announced by Netflix. There was a long period of time when screen adaptations of video games were terrible, yet Netflix is proving that the impossible can be achieved with the right creative vision.
The Cuphead Show is currently in development for Netflix.
Source: Studio MDHR, IGN