How do you adopt a sprawling eight-novel saga into a TV show? Well, you begin with a riveting drama headed up by the likes of Henry Cavill (Geralt of Rivia), Freya Allan (Princess Ciri), and Anya Chalotra (Yennefer of Vengerberg), and then you spin out multiple stories in the form of anime films.
That appears to be Netflix’s approach to The Witcher, after the online streaming giant confirmed plans to push ahead with Nightmare of the Wolf, which is to be helmed by showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and writer Beau DeMayo. They’ll join forces with South Korean animation giant Studio Mir, famous for its work on Netflix’s Voltron: Legendary Defender and The Legend of Korra series.
And sure enough, there’s a palpable sense of excitement swirling around The Witcher fanbase, as though Yennefer herself just cast some sort of enchantment spell. Don’t believe us? Here’s a collection of the best reactions from Twitter, as Netflix subscribers begin counting down the days until Nightmare of the Wolf premieres.
The Witcher is perfect for an anime adaptation too. This is gonna be ?
— Alex Marco (@TheAlexMarco) January 22, 2020
Anime? The Witcher? Together???
You son of a bitch, I’m in. https://t.co/sj7S7oKZBA
— Amanda ❄️☃️ (@peaksandpages) January 22, 2020
Netflix: We're making a Witcher anime!
Me: …hmmm, really?
Netflix: Studio Mir are making it!
Me: oh shit! YES! GIVE IT TO ME NOW! pic.twitter.com/q5BqGqEUSv
— Joshua Garrity (@combinehunter) January 22, 2020
This is going to be beautiful, a Witcher anime from the Korra studio https://t.co/LsWKABreC8 pic.twitter.com/o7gHTfktBz
— Devindra Hardawar (@Devindra) January 22, 2020
"The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf" standalone anime film is on the way at Netflix https://t.co/lAsZepYZib pic.twitter.com/0MnUoi2PFi
— AllGamesDelta (@AllGamesDelta_) January 22, 2020
And two more reactions, just for good measure:
A Witcher anime movie is a lot more exciting to me than the show.
— Mikey O'Leary (@MichaelROLeary) January 22, 2020
OH MY GOD WITCHER ANIME BY STUDIO MIR AM I DREAMING
— Hussy @ Bathhouse comic (@baedelus) January 22, 2020
We should stress that there’s been no mention of a firm release date for The Witcher‘s anime spinoff. Ditto for the potential involvement of Cavill, Allan, and Chalotra, whose respective performances have helped bring The Witcher to life like never before.
Indeed, the sheer popularity of Netflix’s fantasy-fueled drama is there for all to see, given the debut season was watched by a staggering 76 million households in its first month. So, it should come as no surprise that Netflix has issued the green-light for Nightmare of the Wolf, which will seemingly explore a “powerful new threat facing the Continent.” So many questions, so few answers.
The Witcher season 2 will be with us at some point in 2021.
