The Witcher Netflix series prequel involves a story you "could never tell" in live-action

(Image credit: Netflix)

The writer for The Witcher Netflix series animated prequel Nightmare of the Wolf has opened up ever-so-slightly about what we can expect from the 2020 adventure, teasing a story that could not have been achieved in live-action.

“There's a grace and an art form to animation, and especially anime, that allows a different flavour,” Beau DeMayo told ComicBook.com of the upcoming film that will chart the origins of Vesemir, a mentor to Geralt set to be played by Kim Bodnia in The Witcher season 2.

Nightmare of the Wolf isn’t here to be a stopgap before season 2, either. It’s going bigger. DeMayo says it aims to tell a story “we could never tell in our live-action scope.” That includes traditional Witcher fare (“magic and monsters and adventure and romance,” DeMayo teased), as well as the script including “certain things it takes advantage of in terms of animation that only animation can do.”

DeMayo adds: “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.”

What that means is open to interpretation, but we can possibly expect larger, more complex battles, monsters not bound by CGI budgets, and several action sequences that Henry Cavill and company couldn’t have achieved as part of the mainline Witcher series.

Nightmare of the Wolf will launch on Netflix later this year.

Add to your watchlist with our round-up of the best shows on Netflix.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in Fantasy Shows
Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
HBO boss says new Game of Thrones spin-off's battles "match" the mainline series at a "fraction of the price"
Abubakar Salim in House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon season 3's opening battle is "beastly", according to one of the show's stars
Jamie Campbell Bower in Stranger Things
The Rings of Power newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower has 'revealed' his season 3 character – but it could be a Sauron-style misdirect
Jamie Campbell Bower in Stranger Things 4
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 adds Stranger Things star and Eddie Marsan to cast
Jeff Goldblum in Kaos
Jeff Goldblum's fantasy series Kaos was Netflix's most-watched cancelled show of late 2024
The Wheel of Time season 3
The Wheel of Time showrunner teases future of the Amazon fantasy series beyond season 3: "My job is to do everything I can to get it to the end"
Latest in News
Jack Quaid in Novocaine
The Boys star Jack Quaid's commitment to the bit is unmatched as his latest marketing stunt for upcoming action movie Novocaine goes viral
George R. R. Martin in Dark Winds season 3
Game of Thrones creator makes sudden cameo in TV show for apparent joke about The Winds of Winter
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again had Disney Plus' biggest premiere of 2025, but its viewership is lower than Agatha All Along and The Acolyte
Beyond the Ice Palace 2
After 37 years, this Commodore 64 classic returns with a new Metroidvania sequel that gives serious old-school Castlevania vibes
an ancient spaceship in the pixel art style of ftl
I just watched the first 10 seconds of this indie roguelike’s trailer, and it's not even trying to be subtle about being an unlicensed 40K game
The House of the Dead first look 'Test Subjects'
Resident Evil director offers update on his horror movie adaptation of Until Dawn-sounding video game from over 20 years ago: "It's going to be very, very scary"