'The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf': Where Does It Fit Into the Timeline and Does Geralt Make an Appearance?

Fans of The Witcher may have to wait until December 17 for the show's second season, but Netflix has made sure to keep them satiated with the film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

The animated film, which is directed by Kwang Il Han, focuses on Vesemir (Theo James), the mentor to Henry Cavill's Geralt of Rivia.

In the dramatic, blood-soaked animation, viewers see Vesemir go from young stable hand to professional Witcher after deciding to follow in the footsteps of monster hunter Deglan (Graham McTavish).

And during his time as a Witcher he is tasked with finding out the origins of new, unknown creatures that are plaguing The Continent.

Given The Witcher's penchant for showing events from varying years without sharing when it is set, fans wouldn't be at fault if they didn't know exactly when The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf fits into the universe's timeline.

Where Does The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Fit Into the Timeline?

The anime alternates between Vesemir's youth and his days as a Witcher, first showing him in all his fighting glory as he saves a young boy from a Leshen before detailing how he got to that point in his life.

When he is in the present day, Vesemir is already almost 70 years old after spending several decades as a Witcher, though he doesn't look it thanks to how his powers slow down the ageing process.

In the time the film is set, the elven race have also all but been wiped out, with Filavandrel turning to Vesemir for help in finding a group of missing elf girls.

Filavandrel first made an appearance in Season 1 of The Witcher, where he took Geralt and Jaskier captive during their mission to find who was stealing food from a nearby village.

Given its focus on Geralt's mentor, the anime serves as a prequel to The Witcher and the character will make his debut in the Netflix show's second season.

While Vesemir is voiced by Theo James the actor won't portray him in the new season, as the older version of the character will be played by Kim Bodnia.

The first season The Witcher takes place between 1206 and 1263, and, given the age difference between James' animated iteration of the character and the brief glimpse of Bodnia in the trailer for season 2, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf appears to be set around three decades earlier.

Does Geralt of Rivia Appear in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf?

Yes, a young Geralt does make a cameo in the film though it is only revealed at the very end when Vesemir refers to him by name.

Vesemir takes charge of Geralt and the remaining children who are in training to become Witchers following an attack on their stronghold, Kaer Morhen, which led to the deaths of many of their comrades, including Deglan.

While Geralt's presence is kept a secret for the majority of the anime, his character is seen multiple times throughout the course of the story.

In fact, it is thanks to Geralt that any of the children survive at all after Tetra (Lara Pulver) tries to take down the Witchers, as he is the one who knows of a way to escape the mountain stronghold without being detected.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is available to stream now on Netflix.

Season 1 of The Witcher is also available and Season 2 will be released on December 17.