GameTap has announced the launch of a new GameTap Retrospective series as well as a new original animated series that will pay homage to one of the most well-known characters in video game history: Lara Croft.

"10 Years of Tomb Raider – A GameTap Retrospective" profiles the creators, the games, the live-action models, and the fans who have collectively made the Tomb Raider franchise a pop culture phenomenon. The documentary will be available for free and new segments will be added each week until June 7.

An original animated series called "ReVisioned" will also be taking on the Tomb Raider series for its debut season. ReVisioned will explore and re-imagine some well known video game franchises. The first season features interpretations of Lara Croft by well-known animators, comic book artists and writers including such names as Peter Chung, Jim Lee and Warren Ellis.

The first ReVisioned episode will debut on July 10 with new episodes running through August 23. There will be ten episodes in total and all of them will be available for viewing at GameTap.com for free.

Transmetropolitan creator Warren Ellis has recently let out a few interesting details on the upcoming direct-to-DVD Castlevania animated movie through the official Castlevania: Dracula's Curse production blog. Ellis has signed on as the animated film's screenwriter.

First of all, Ellis says that it's going to be a trilogy, as in there will be three Castlevania animated films. The film will be set in Wallachia in 1476, and long-time fans will be pleased to note that the movie team has "worked with Koji Igarashi to get the film solidly inside the Castlevania timeline." Also, it won't be your generic kids' movie, so we can probably expect some mature themes here and there.

According to Ellis, Igarashi has "approved everything I came up with, including some new embroidering to the timeline. To make it work as a film, I had to introduce new backstory, and I went through five drafts of the premise and three of the full outline to get the material where IGA wanted it."

As for character appearances, Sypha Belnades is in, Grant DaNasty is out. The reason? Ellis gives out three, but let's just take two. Reason one: "Grant DaNasty is a stupid name that I cannot take seriously. (When he does turn up, I’ll probably use the alternate spelling of Grant DiNesti.)" Reason two: "Seriously, what use is a pirate on dry land? 'Avast, ye swabs, and push me fecking cart! Arrr!' No. Just no."