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First thrilling trailer for The Witcher anime film 'Nightmare of the Wolf' shows off an arrogant Vesemir

By Josh Weiss
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Vesemir

Before Geralt, there was Vesemir... Netflix has unleashed the first sharp-toothed teaser trailer for its Witcher-inspired anime film, Nightmare of the Wolf, which — no pun intended — arrives on the streaming platform late next month.

The project features Theo James (Divergent) as the voice of a young Vesemir, an arrogant and swashbuckling monster hunter, who seems to share Geralt's love of steamy baths. Not altogether surprising when you remember that the character (played in live-action by Kim Bodnia) was a mentor to Henry Cavill's handsome-jawed hero.

He escaped a life of abject poverty to slay dangerous beasts for money, but when hitherto unseen monsters start terrorizing the Continent, Vesemir is thrust into a a frightening adventure that forces him to confront the demons of his past.

Watch the teaser below:

Lara Pulver (Tetra), Graham McTavish (Deglan), and Mary McDonnell (Lady Zerbst) also lend their voices to Nightmare, whose animation was handled by Studio Mir (The Legend of KorraVoltron: Legendary Defender).

Written and produced by Beau DeMayo (a staff writer on the flagship series), the film was co-produced by The Witcher showrunner and executive producer, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. Kwang Il Han of Studio Mir served as both director and producer.

"Something with magic and monsters and adventure and romance that you couldn't necessarily use a live-action medium to tell," DeMayo told ComicBook.com last March. "I think when people see the anime and when it releases, there are very particular choices we made. And [in] the script itself, there are certain things it takes advantage of in terms of animation that only animation can do. I think that's what's the most exciting thing that I'm waiting for fans to see."

First announced last January, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf lands on Netflix Monday, Aug. 23. Season 2 of the main live action series premieres this December.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Deglan
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Lady Zerbst
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Tetra