'The Witcher' Is Being Made Into A Netflix Anime Movie By The Studio Behind 'The Legend Of Korra'
Toss a coin to your anime fan friends, because The Witcher is becoming an anime movie. Netflix is capitalizing on the wild success of the Henry Cavill-starring high fantasy series based on the book series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski and the popular video game franchise it spawned, ordering a The Witcher anime film from Korean animation house Studio Mir. Netflix has had great success with Studio Mir, having worked with them for the hit animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender, but the widely regarded animation studio is probably best known for its stunning work on Nickelodeon's The Legend of Korra.
Netflix announced that it has ordered the anime film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf from Korean animation studio Studio Mir, best known for its work on The Legend of Korra and Netflix's Voltron: Legendary Defender. The news comes just as the live-action The Witcher series produced by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and starring Cavill as the titular monster hunter is more popular than ever, as the memes and discourse over the catchiness of its songs have reached an apex.
Netflix hasn't released too many details about the show, which according to the press release "explores a powerful new threat facing Continent." The series comes from The Witcher producers, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Beau DeMayo, who according to Hissrich, have been working with Studio Mir on the anime for more than a year, which suggests that Netflix was planning to expand its Witcher franchise for some time now.
While I'm still on the fence on whether The Witcher is a good show or not, it at the very least is entertaining for its unintentionally campy qualities — qualities that will make the smooth transition to anime, a medium that is strongest for its whiplash-inducing shifts between genre and tone. And the show's catchy bop "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" (which has finally made it to Spotify) is just begging for an upbeat anime opening remix. But jokes aside, the involvement of Studio Mir is genuinely exciting. Their work on Voltron was impressive, especially for the fast turnaround the series required, but their dazzling animation on The Legend of Korra brought the acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise to a new level with immaculately detailed backgrounds, sleek fight scenes, and gorgeous imagery. If they can bring that standard of animation to The Witcher, it may be one of the most beautiful anime films to hit the streaming service.
There is no cast or release date yet set for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf .