Netflix Saves the Nimona Movie

By Jamie Lovett

The Nimona movie is back and headed to Netflix. The animated film adaptation of NG Stevenson's acclaimed graphic was a casualty of Disney's buyout of 20th Century Fox, canceled less than a year away from its scheduled release date. Stevenson previously confirmed that they were still shopping the project around to other potential buyers. Now Stevenson has confirmed that the film found a new home on Netflix and a new backing in co-producer Annapurna Films. As planned while at Fox, Nimona will feature Chloë Grace Moretz in the title role, with Riz Ahmed and Eugene Lee Yang in supporting roles. The film will debut on Netflix in 2023.

Netflix confirmed the news by tweeting, "Nimona is coming to Netflix! In a future medieval land, shapeshifter Nimona @ChloeGMoretz bursts into the lives of heroic knights @rizwanahmed + @EugeneLeeYang and blows up everything they believe in. An epic animated film adapted from the groundbreaking comic by @Gingerhazing".

Stevenson announced the news by tweeting, "Nimona's always been a spunky little story that just wouldn't stop. She's a fighter…but she's also got some really awesome people fighting for her. I am excited out of my mind to announce that THE NIMONA MOVIE IS ALIVE…coming at you in 2023 from Annapurna and Netflix 🤘"

Nick Bruno and Troy Quane are directing Nimona, while DNEG Animation handles the animation. Here's the official synopsis for the movie: "A Knight is framed for a crime he didn't commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he's sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is a story about the labels we assign to people and the  shapeshifter who refuses to be defined by anyone."

Stevenson first published Nimona as a webcomic on Tumblr (which they also used for their senior thesis), earning an Eisner nomination for Best Digital/Webcomic in 2014. HarperCollins collected and published it as a graphic novel in 2015, which became a bestseller, and won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album -- Reprint, a Cybils Award, and earned a nomination from the Nation Book Awards.

Blue Sky Studio, owned by Fox, announced the Nimona movie that same year. Following Disney's purchase of 20th Century Fox, the film faced multiple delays. Anonymous staff working on the project claimed that Disney executives pushed back against the inclusion of explicit LGBTQ relationships and romantic themes.

Stevenson has since worked on Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. HBO Max is currently adapting another of their comics work, Lumberjanes.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of