In an announcement which will likely come as a surprise to many fans, Netflix has announced Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, a second Witcher project which is now in the works. However, unlike the recent live-action series, Nightmare of the Wolf will actually be an anime film, according to the company. In a statement released on Twitter, it was confirmed that Lauren Hissrich, showrunner of the live-action series, and writer Beau DeMayo are leading the project, which is being created by Studio Mir, the animation studio behind Avatar: Legend of Korra.
Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Officially Announced
At present, other details about Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf are very scarce. The announcement states, for instance, that the film; “will take us back to a new threat facing the Continent,” which is a very vague statement. Presumably, the film will be separate to the live-action series, even if it shares some characters. As such, it’s possible that it could delve further back into the setting’s timeline. Or, indeed, it may choose to tell a side-story which isn’t planned to feature in the series.
The choice to have Nightmare of the Wolf be a film, as opposed to a series of its own, does suggest that its story will be relatively self-contained. It’s currently unknown when the film might release, however. Netflix has simply said that it “is in the works,” but it is possible that it could launch sometime before the release of The Witcher Season 2. (Perhaps as a way to tide core fans over during the break between seasons.)
Interestingly, Nightmare of the Wolf has apparently been in the planning since long before the recent Witcher series release. Responding to the announcement on Twitter, Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich said that; “I’ve been keeping this one secret for over a year!” For now, fans will have to wait until Netflix lets slip some more details about what to expect. However, this does seem to be an indication that Netflix is doubling down on the Witcher franchise to be one of their key franchises for the near future.