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The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Headlines Netflix Upcoming Anime Lineup

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

As streamers continue to carve out their niches for specialized content, Netflix has established a firm foothold in original anime production of both established and original IP. On Tuesday morning, the platform outlined a group of exciting upcoming titles, headlined by the hugely anticipated “The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf” animated spinoff, in a pre-recorded Studio Focus panel, streamed as part of the Annecy Film Festival.

In “The Witcher,” one of Netflix’s most popular original series to date, Henry Cavill plays Geralt of Rivera, the outcast monster hunter who is loathed by most he comes across and willing to do dangerous and unsavory work for pay, earning himself a guarded admiration from some he’s helped. But, before Geralt came Vesemir, a headstrong young witcher who relishes his job and the earthly benefits he reaps in doing what others can’t or won’t. Seemingly unshakable, Vesemir will face a crisis of conscious when a new power threatens the Continent, forcing him to reevaluate why he does the work he does.

Lauren Schmidt Hissrich (“Defenders,” “Daredevil”), creator, showrunner and executive producer of Netflix’s live action “The Witcher” series, will also showrun and co-executive produce its animated spinoff with Kwang Il Han (“The Boondocks,” “The Last Airbender”) in the directors’ chair. Original series writer Beau DeMayo penned the scripts and Korean company Studio Mir is handling animation production.

Specific plot details were limited during the presentation, but Hissrich, DeMayo and Il Han did discuss their more general narrative ambitions for the show, as well as the influences that are shaping the look and feel of “Nightmare of the Wolf.”

“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,” Hissrich explained of her ambitions for the show.

While season two of “The Witcher” live action will focus heavily on Geralt the father figure and Ciri the child, Hissrich was left wondering about what kind of father figure Geralt had when he was developing and wanted to know more about Vesemir. And although Vesemir’s will appear in season two of the live action series, she said the upcoming anime offered them an opportunity to show how Vesemir’s past affects the world of The Continent in the live action show.

“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,” Hissrich explained.

In “The Witcher,” it’s known that magic was part of creating the witchers in the first place, but that now mages and witchers don’t get along. “Nightmare of the Wolf” will go a long way to exploring how that relationship, which began as a collaboration, became poisoned over time.

“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,” said DeMayo when asked about his ultimate hopes for the animated series. “I’m also just excited for the fans to see the action. It’s pretty awesome.”

Finally, Il Han explained his own influences and vision for the series and gave a brief look at several landscape concept art stills. Broad and vibrant, the hand painted shots featured a highly detailed castle, shots of a medieval town center and an ominous looking crystalline dungeon.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman



Face your demons. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf premieres August 23, 2021 worldwide on Netflix. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is animated by Studio MIR, written by Beau DeMayo, and directed by Kwang Il Han.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Plot Synopsis:
The world of The Witcher expands in this anime origin story: Before Geralt, there was his mentor Vesemir -- a swashbuckling young witcher who escaped a life of poverty to slay monsters for coin. But when a strange new monster begins terrorizing a politically-fraught kingdom, Vesemir finds himself on a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf voice cast includes Theo James as Vesemir, Lara Pulver as Tetra, Graham McTavish as Deglan, and Mary McDonnell as Lady Zerbst.
 
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IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
the-witcher-nightmare-wolf-keyart-1278561.jpeg

 
I think it could work with a more "dirty" art style. The aesthetic they've chosen here is just too bland and "safe", I feel.
Every western "anime" made by Netflix looks that stylistically.

Its ugly as sin to me, and I for one could never get into their original "anime" shows like Castlevania because of these reasons.

Also the VA. But that's a different story.
 

oagboghi2

Member
Every western "anime" made by Netflix looks that stylistically.

Its ugly as sin to me, and I for one could never get into their original "anime" shows like Castlevania because of these reasons.

Also the VA. But that's a different story.
They are animated that way because it looks great in motion, which is kinda important for an action oriented animated show.
 
Typical hollywood trailer editing. Typical hollywood cringey banter. CGI in an adaptation of a popular franchise financed by a company with unfathomable money.

I'll pass.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Face your demons. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf premieres August 23, 2021 worldwide on Netflix.

Featuring the voices of Theo James as Vesemir, Lara Pulver as Tetra, Graham McTavish as Deglan, and Mary McDonnell as Lady Zerbst and animated by Studio Mir.
 
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Anki

Banned
Did anybody noticed how the color changes in the same scene? It would switch between blue, green and red.
 

Fbh

Member
This was ...ok.
It's not really good as a standalone movie, but as a fun side project to watch in between seasons of the show it's decent. I liked them showing the whole process of the kids turning into Witcher and how brutal/ruthless it is. The animation was pretty decent too, didn't feels as choppy and low framerate as most other Netflix stuff.

Is any of this canon from the books though? or is it just some random stuff they made up?
 

Airbus Jr

Banned
Why are you people hating Vesemir?

He was great in here

That old man was once young like the rest of you

Give him a rest already
 
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