By It’s been a while since we last heard anything about Netflix’s upcoming animated Witcher prequel Nightmare of the Wolf, that is set to explore the early adventures of Geralt of Rivia’s mentor Vesemir. Courtesy of Variety, we now have some new interesting details that were outlined by Netflix during a pre-recorded Studio Focus panel, streamed during the Annecy Film Festival. While we don’t have a link to the stream, Variety described the important parts in their article.
Accordingly, Nightmare of the Wolf will be at the head of a number of other upcoming animated titles, the streaming giant is currently developing. Netflix hasn’t yet confirmed a release date yet, but there are sources saying that it will come in 2021. Most interestingly perhaps, the developers revealed the name of the director: Kwang Il Han, well known for her work on titles such as The Boondocks, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Legends of Korra will be helming Nightmare of the Wolf.
During the presentation, Han explained her influences and vision and gave a brief look at some landscape concept art, described by Variety as: “Broad and vibrant, the hand painted shots featured a highly detailed castle, shots of a medieval town center and an ominous looking crystalline dungeon.”
Showrunner Lauren Hissrich, said that Nightmare of the Wolf gave them a chance to show what kind of father figure Geralt had and how Vesemir’s past shapes the world of The Continent in the main Witcher show. Asked about her ambitions for the show, she said that “There are things I wanted to know about, what it takes to become a witcher, how Geralt became a witcher, where his journey started and who was important to him. Families are multi-generational. The things I teach my children, I learned from the generation ahead of me. When we meet Geralt in ‘The Witcher’ he is a full adult, he’s 100 years old and he’s been living on his own for a very long time. But you can’t help wondering how he learned the things he practices regularly and is going to teach Ciri,”
Screenwriter Beau De Mayo also talked about his hopes for the film: “It’s gonna give fans that are familiar with the series a totally unique experience that I hope makes them feel like they’re coming to ‘The Witcher’ for the first time again,” adding that he’s also very excited to see the action. He said that the prequel will feel like ‘gothic romance with a tone of action’.
While the producers were careful to avoid any revealing plot details, Variety made note of a few interesting tidbits. In Nightmare of the Wolf viewers will get to know Vesemir as a ‘headstrong young witcher who relishes his job and the earthly benefits he reaps in doing what others can’t or won’t.’ This demeanor will be put to the test when a new power arises ‘forcing him to reevaluate why he does the work he does.’
Interestingly, they let slip another subtle hint describing how Nightmare of the Wolf will go a long way to explore the history of mages and the witchers, how magic was part of creating the mutant monster-hunters in the first place and how that relationship soured over time.
These new details should get the discussion going again. We’re excited to learn more about Nightmare of the Wolf very soon. Bring it on Netflix!
