James Darrell Launches The Rise Of Kadeem
Bermudian James Darrell has turned the island’s recent rattlesnake drama into an anime action series featuring a fictional hero who takes on the reptile.
The independently produced project, The R.O.K. [Rise of Kadeem], incorporates Bermudian locations, culture and storytelling into an original anime-style series.
In the first episode, Kadeem battles a giant rattlesnake in Astwood Park, drawing inspiration from the alleged ‘sighting’ of a rattlesnake earlier this year.
Mr Darrell, who has previously worked in music production and produced videos for companies on the island, said his experience in film helped him turn the idea into a complete story using artificial intelligence, without the expense of a traditional studio.
“It’s 2026 – you don’t need to spend a whole lot of money on a big production studio,” Mr Darrell told Bernews.
“With AI, we can do more; however, a lot of people think you can just punch in a prompt, and you get what you want.
“It doesn’t work that way. Unless you’re telling the AI what to do every step, every move, it will spill out junk.”
Mr Darrell said it took two weeks to complete the first episode, including developing the story, character designs and locations.
He also visited Astwood Park, photographing and mapping the location to help create the setting for the episode.
“We had a lot of drama with talk of a rattlesnake running around the island, and I thought I could have some fun with that,” he said.
Kadeem reflects Mr Darrell’s desire to portray a heroic character.
“He reflects my inner desires to be a hero,” he said. “I like to take care of the people in my life.”
The 41-year-old said the project has received a positive response and hopes to raise enough investment to produce a second episode.
“I wanted to show people this is what you can do – there are no limitations,” he said.
“Bermuda maybe small, but you can do whatever you want.”
Mr Darrell also wants to incorporate local businesses into future episodes.
“Maybe I could [feature] coffee shops in the shows for a few dollars,” he added.
“There’s always opportunities to make everyone gets something out of it.”
The first episode of The R.O.K. [Rise of Kadeem] is available to watch on his Instagram account.
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