Netflix confirms The Witcher spin-off is coming in 2021

Netflix has revealed the logo for the long-awaited anime spin-off movie Nightmare of the Wolf, and confirmed that the film will release in 2021. It's from the same team behind the main show – including showrunner Lauren Hissrich. Filming on The Witcher season 2, meanwhile, is ongoing.

The film is expected to focus on Geralt of Rivia's mentor, Vesemir, who will be played in season 2 by actor Kim Bodnia. The film is animated by Studio Mir, which produced The Legend of Korra, and it's written by Beau DeMayo, who scripted the season 1 episode 'Betrayer Moon'. The movie was announced all the way back in January, and it's been a long time since we learned anything new about it. 

Here's the logo, and confirmation the film is coming next year:

Our expectation is we'll see the film before season 2, but Netflix hasn't said anything on that either way. A now-removed description for Nightmare of the Wolf said the following:

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

This is actually just one of the spin-offs for The Witcher that Netflix has in the works. Also planned is The Witcher: Blood Origin, a six-episode prequel series announced back in July.

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Why are we learning more about The Witcher now?

It's been almost exactly a year since Netflix released The Witcher's first season on December 20, 2019. The show was phenomenally popular – and the streaming service no doubt wants to remind people that it has grand plans to build on the dark fantasy drama's universe. 

With The Witcher being one of the first shows hit by Covid-19, too, it's likely that any planned release date for the show's second season was affected by the pandemic. So anything that makes a potential delay seem better is probably a goog thing.

Last week, Netflix also released some new images of the second season. They don't give much away, but hey, they at least remind fans that Henry Cavill's Geralt will return someday.

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