What is the story of ‘Nightmare of the Wolf’?
Though
The Witcher is well known from CD Projekt RED’s video game trilogy, the Netflix series is based on the eight-book saga of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. There is a wealth of material within Sapkowski’s novels and short stories, but
Nightmare of the Wolf will not adapt any of them. Instead, Netflix is looking to tell an entirely new story about a beloved character who will be introduced in the show’s upcoming second season: Vesemir.
Vesemir is an old witcher who serves as a father figure to Geralt (Henry Cavill) in the books and the games, but according to the film’s official description, the events of
Nightmare of the Wolf transpire long before Geralt is born. Netflix describes the film as follows: “Long before mentoring Geralt, Vesemir begins his own journey as a witcher after the mysterious Deglan claims him through the Law of Surprise.” According to writer Beau DeMayo, the story will exist within the show’s canon, and it’s likely to tie into Vesemir’s live-action appearance in season two. It’s also possible that we’ll see a cameo appearance by Geralt, perhaps towards the end of the story.
Who will voice Vesemir?
Not long ago, Netflix revealed that
Killing Eve star
Kim Bodnia has been cast in the role of Vesemir for
The Witcher’s second season. Bodnia started filming alongside Cavill (Geralt), Freya Allan (Ciri), Yasen Atour (Coën), Paul Bullion (Lambert) and Thue Rasmussen (Eskel) before the production was halted over COVID-19 concerns. Seeing as Vesemir is the main character of the anime film, it’s possible that Bodnia will reprise his role in
Nightmare of the Wolf.
That being said, there is another option that is just as likely. Seeing as
Nightmare of the Wolf features a younger Vesemir, Netflix may have searched for another actor to voice the character. In
The Witcher’s first season,
Divergent’s Theo James voiced “Young Vesemir” in a quick flashback sequence. James has a voice-acting background in Netflix productions, including recurring roles in the animated
Castlevania series and
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Given that rumors of this animated film began circling many months before season one aired, it’s possible Theo James was signed on for
Nightmare of the Wolf alongside his brief flashback in season one.
Which studio is developing Nightmare of the Wolf?
The script of
Nightmare of the Wolf was written by
Beau DeMayo, who penned the third episode of The Witcher’s first season, as well as the second episode of the upcoming season. DeMayo has also joined the writers’ room for the
Moon Knight Disney+ series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Also involved in the film is
The Witcher showrunner
Lauren S. Hissrich, though her exact role in the project is unknown. It’s likely that she supervised the project.
Meanwhile, the studio behind
Nightmare of the Wolf’s animation is the Korean
Studio Mir, famous for the animation of
Legend of Korra (the
Avatar: The Last Airbender spinoff series). If the animation will be as good as
Korra’s, we’re in for quite a treat.
Why has Nightmare of the Wolf been chosen to be animated?
The Witcher’s quick success proved that audiences are eager to see more of the Continent. It’s no surprise, then, that Netflix has chosen to develop a spin-off film. However, some fans are surprised about the choice to make
Nightmare of the Wolf an anime. Writer Beau DeMayo was recently asked this question in an
interview with Comicbook.com, and provided a thorough answer:
"The
Witcher world] is a massive canvas, and I actually started out my career working as an assistant and executive at Disney in animation, and it was there where I first got my job in the industry,” DeMayo explained. So I was aware when Lauren came and asked me to write [the film] what we could do in animation that you cannot do in live-action.
There is not necessarily always parity between those two mediums. There are things that you can animate in an animated form that will look so amazing, so badass, that if you did it in live-action, it’s just going to look goofy or it’s just going to register as a little false to the human eye."
Beau DeMayo further elaborated about the aesthetic that animation would bring to
Nightmare of the Wolf:
"There’s a grace and an art form to animation, and especially anime, that allows a different flavor. So I think from Lauren and [my] perspective when we came at it, was what is the type of story we can tell? Which, I can’t tell you the story, but what is the type of story that we could tell that we could never tell in our live-action scope? Something with magic and monsters and adventure and romance that you couldn’t necessarily use a live-action medium to tell, and I think when people see the anime and when it releases, there are very particular choices we made.
And the script itself, there are certain things it takes advantage of in terms of animation that only animation can do. I think that’s what’s the most exciting thing that I’m waiting for fans to see. Is that, when you see the anime, it’s not just the events, it’s what Studio Mir has been capable of pulling off. It’s what our partners in the anime division at Netflix have been able to pull off. It is something… it is a story we could not have told in live-action in any way, shape or form. At least not without an incredible burden on production, I will say that."
