It didn’t take long for Netflix’s The Witcher to become a fan-favorite TV show, especially thanks to its incredible cast and the source material. The show also resulted in a spin-off film written by Beau DeMayo titled, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. The animated film revolves around Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir, and brings his origin story to the screen.
Before the release of the film, Beau DeMayo opened up about where he got the inspiration for the story, and let’s just say that there were a few unlikely sources. This includes several anime including Gundam Wing as well as Bruce Timm’s groundbreaking superhero show, Batman: The Animated Series.
Beau DeMayo Found Inspiration for his The Witcher Film in Batman
Beau DeMayo worked as producer and writer on Netflix’s The Witcher but his time on the show was limited. We can circle back to this later, though. In 2021, a spin-off animated film, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf was released and it received positive reviews from fans and critics alike.
DeMayo, who gave the screenplay of the film, opened up to ComicBook.com about what the film’s vision board looked like. He stated that since he grew up watching tons of anime, his animated film was inspired by shows like Gundam Wing and Vampire Hunter D.
“I grew up on Sailor Moon. I grew up on Gundam Wing. Gundam Wing, to this day, if I cannot sleep… I am a 37-year-old man who will put on a Gundam Wing episode. So I looked at a lot of Gundam Wing. I looked a lot at Vampire Hunter, Vampire Hunter D… were big influences. Not only in terms of my own writing but also in terms of the anime. In terms of looking at things that existed in that similar world.”
That’s not all. DeMayo also implied that Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series also had an influence on Nightmare of the Wolf.
“I don’t think there’s anybody who wasn’t born in the eighties or nineties that didn’t grow up on Batman: The Animated Series.’
On Rotten Tomatoes, Nightmare of the Wolf has a fresh score of 100% with the critical consensus stating that the “fluidly animated addendum” to The Witcher’s story will not fail to “delight” the fans of the franchise.
Beau DeMayo’s Exit from The Witcher
DeMayo wrote a couple of episodes for The Witcher and produced some of them as well. However, in an unexpected turn of events, he ended up parting ways with the franchise for good. Later, he publicly blasted the show’s writers for actively disliking the source materials.
On his Instagram stories (Via The Direct), DeMayo answered a fan’s question about how the production team for X-Men ’97 was selected. In his reply, DeMayo stated that the one rule was that everyone “HAD to be a fan.” He then dragged the writers of The Witcher for not being one.
“My general rule was you HAD to be a fan. No questions… I’ve been on show – namely Witcher – where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material.) It’s a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you’re allowed to add to its legacy.”
This caused quite a stir in the fandom and a writer from the show, Matthew D’Ambrosio, tweeted out a reply in frustration claiming that DeMayo had been fired from The Witcher. In a now-deleted tweet (via Tumblr), D’Ambrosio wrote,
“If I were unceremoniously fired from a job for being both emotionally and physically abusive, I’d probably focus on getting help instead of constantly bringing up my involvement with said job.”
Ouch! As for the show’s future, Liam Hemsworth will soon be seen taking over Geralt of Rivia’s mantle after Henry Cavill in season four. After that, The Witcher will return for one more season before finally putting the story to rest.
You can stream The Witcher and The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf on Netflix.
