It’s an early introduction to Vesemir, who will show up - older, and played in live action by Killing Eve’s Kim Bodnia - in The Witcher’s second season, which premieres later this year. If you’re looking for connections to the TV series, Nightmare of the White Wolf has two real functions.
It’s set almost 100 years before the TV series, and does nothing to resolve any of the lingering cliffhangers from the season-one finale. Instead, Nightmare of the Wolf is centered on Vesemir, a witcher who was slaying monsters when Geralt of Rivia was still in short pants. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, the new spinoff prequel movie to the Netflix series The Witcher, contains much of what fans of the series have come to expect: bloody fight scenes, weird monsters, a hunky witcher taking a hot bath in a wooden tub. Spoilers for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf to follow.
Centered on Vesemir, a witcher who was slaying monsters when Geralt of Rivia was still in short pants, the new Nightmare of the Wolf is a fascinating snapshot of how much Hollywood’s approach to fantasy has changed.