Prior to the second season of The Witcher hitting Netflix on December 17, the streaming service is releasing an animated prequel to the tale of the white wolf — and we now have a first look and a release date. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is one of a handful of Witcher-related projects Netflix is currently working on, and the series first animated title. During developer CD Projekt Red’s first-ever WitcherCon, a convention dedicated to sharing news and bringing Witcher community members together, the team shared the film’s August 23 release date — as well as this trailer:
While the trailer itself is fairly minimal, forgoing details to simply show off a bit of the animation style provided by Studio MIR (Voltron: Legendary Defender and The Legend of Korra), Netflix has shared the basic premise of the film. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf follows the Witcher Vesemir, who you might best know as Geralt of Rivia’s mentor. However, long before Vesemir trained Geralt behind the walls of Kaer Morhen, he was a monster slayer every bit as fierce as his protegee. The movie will focus on Vesemir’s origins as a Witcher, and watch him take on beasts — as well as some personal demons — as he saves the kingdom.
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is being directed by Han Kwang II, and is written by Beau de Mayo along with The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. The film hits Netflix on August 23, 2021.
