The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is an upcoming 2D animated fantasy film that is set to debut on Netflix sometime in 2021. The film will serve as a spin-off prequel to the Netflix original series, The Witcher, starring Henry Cavill as the man, the myth, the legend, Geralt of Rivia. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf focuses on the origin story of Geralt’s mentor and fellow Witcher, Vesemir. Earlier rumors suggested that legendary Jedi Master Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, would have taken on the role of Vesemir for The Witcher Season 2, but it looks like that isn’t the case. According to Netflix, Kim Bodnia has been cast as Vesemir for The Witcher Season 2. While we wait for the second season of the greatest Netflix series to ever grace my eyes and ears, we do have an anime adaptation of the famed book and game series coming sometime in 2021, so what do we want to see from The Witcher Netflix anime film?
Epic Battles
If there’s one thing that we can expect for sure to come in The Witcher Netflix movie is plenty of battles of epic proportion. If the first season of The Witcher was any sign of what’s to come, I’d say we’re in for a fantastic animated treat. It’s been confirmed that the runtime for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is 81 minutes, but while I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to 81 minutes of pure, non-stop, blood-spewing action, I’m sure that this won’t actually be the case, but I think it’s safe to say that quite a big chunk of it will be enough to satisfy all of your bloodthirsty desires.
Geralt of Rivia
While The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf focuses on the origin story of Geralt of Rivia’s mentor, Vesemir, I would still like to see at the very least a cameo from The Witcher himself in one way or another. We don’t exactly know where in the timeline the movie will take place, but I would assume if it’s focusing on the origin of Vesemir then Geralt will probably be quite a ways away. However, even if we can see Geralt as a short cameo at the end as a child or when he is introduced to Vesemir, I still think that would be cool. Of course, more Geralt would be even better; I strongly doubt this will happen, but it’s always a possibility.
Roach
If we’re getting any form of Geralt in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, I would also love to see a variation of Roach. Roach is the name that Geralt gives to all of his horses. Ironically enough, the name Roach has nothing to do with the cockroach insect, but rather a common European fresh water fish. While Roach doesn’t appear quite often in the games, she is very prevalent in the Netflix original series, The Witcher, and appears alongside Geralt in nearly every episode.
Gritty Animation
Okay, so I know what you might be thinking. An anime that isn’t as fluid as Demon Slayer or My Hero Academia in 2021? No way! Well, the thing is I don’t think that The Witcher would really fit a smooth and fluid animation style. I really feel like The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf would benefit greatly from a super gritty animation style, something that really captures the essence of The Witcher. Perhaps something that is not unlike Berserk? Hopefully we get a trailer sometime soon that shows off the movie’s animation style. The writer of the film, Beau DeMayo, actually spoke to why they decided to animate the film rather than set it in live-action, “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.” I, for one, am incredibly happy that they decided to expand into the anime medium for this exact reason. The Witcher was able to adapt to live-action quite well actually, in my opinion, and nothing can top Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, but I’m excited to see what new heights Netflix is able to take the world of The Witcher in animated form.
Are you looking forward to The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf? What are your thoughts on Netflix choosing to animate the film rather than film it in live-action? What else would you like to see in the movie? Let me know while I finish up The Witcher books to start theory-crafting what else might pop up in the film!
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