Witcher Writer Reveals Why Nightmare of the Wolf Is Being Done as an Anime

Before season 2 of The Witcher hits, Netflix has another project for Witcher fans to enjoy in the form of the upcoming anime movie The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. Witcher showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich, writer Beau DeMayo, and Studio Mir are all on board for the project, which will be a prequel to the live-action series and will have fan-favorite Witcher mentor Vesemir in the lead role, exploring the events before he became Geralt’s guardian and mentor. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to speak to DeMayo all about the film, including why they decided to go the anime route for the project, especially after the success of the first live-action season.

“I think from just… In terms of what the Witcher world is capable of, It 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 said. “So I was aware when Lauren came and asked me to write it, 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 action, 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.”

“There’s a grace and an art form to animation, and especially anime, that allows a different flavor,” DeMayo said. “So I think from Lauren and I’s 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?”

Once the decision was made to go the animation route, DeMayo and Hissrich really opened up the possibilities of what they could create on the screen, and they never looked back.

“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,” DeMayo said. “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 with an incredible burden on production, I will say that.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf will be helmed by Lauren S. Hissrich, written by Beau DeMayo, and animated by Studio Mir, and you can check out the official description for the film below.

“Long before mentoring Geralt, Vesemir begins his own journey as a witcher after the mysterious Deglan claims him through the Law of Surprise.”

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf currently has no release date, but is likely to air before the season 2 of the live-action Witcher series hits Netflix.

Are you excited for Nightmare of the Wolf? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Witcher!