Picture: Netflix
Netflix has acquired Nimona, a long-developed adaptation of ND Stevenson’s best-selling graphic novel. The project was in development at 20th Century Fox and then Disney before being canceled and eventually revived at Netflix which will finally release it in 2023.
Netflix’s Nimona is being directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Spies in Disguise) with the producing aid of DNEG and Annapurna Pictures, whose credits include Vice, Phantom Thread, Booksmart, Missing Link, and more.
Marc Haimes is adapting the screenplay for Nimona, who also worked on Netflix’s Lost Ollie.
Nimona has had a bumpy production history as it was previously being developed for Fox, and later Disney starting in 2015. The project was originally being produced by Blue Sky Studios, a part of the animation division of then 20th Century Fox.
It was initially intended for a 2020 release which was then pushed to a 2022 release. Production was already underway when Disney acquired Fox, and in February 2021 it was announced that Disney, which already has Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, would shutter Blue Sky.
That led to lots of speculation about the future of Nimona, and at the time, employees working on the project said the movie “will likely never see the light of day.” Shortly after, news came that production on Nimona would be halted, and the film would not be released.
There have been rumblings of a Nimona resurrection for months, and in early February 2022, Netflix filed a copyright for the word “Nimona.”
Then a month later, Nimona was announced to have landed at Netflix, and production for the movie restarted in early 2022, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Reacting to the news of Netflix picking up the movie, ND Stevenson said on Twitter:
“Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop. She’s a fighter…but she’s also got some really awesome people fighting for her. I am excited out of my mind to announce that THE NIMONA MOVIE IS ALIVE…coming at you in 2023 from Annapurna and Netflix”
Here’s a first look shared by Netflix:
Furthermore, here’s a test footage reel from Nimona shared by io9:
Roy Lee, Karen Ryan, and Julie Zackary are producing, with Robert L. Baird, Megan Ellison, and Andrew Millstein exec producing.
Here’s what else we know about Netflix’s Nimona:
What’s the plot of Nimona?
As mentioned above, Nimona is an adaptation of ND Stevenson’s best-selling graphic novel of the same name, which was published as a webcomic from 2012 and then finally released as a graphic novel book in 2015. Here’s the official synopsis for the graphic novel:
“Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.
But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.”
The official Netflix synopsis for Nimona reads:
“A Knight is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is a story about the labels we assign to people and the shapeshifter who refuses to be defined by anyone.”
Who is cast in Nimona?
The three principal voice cast members for Netflix’s Nimona are Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Tom & Jerry), Riz Ahmed (Rogue One, Sound of Metal, Venom) and Eugene Lee Yang (Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Moretz will voice Nimona, with Ahmed set as Ballister Boldheart and Yang as Ambrosius Goldenloin.
Who’s behind the animation for Nimona?
DNEG Animation is behind the animation for Nimona. Their credits include Stranger Things, Dune, Shadow & Bone, Godzilla vs Kong, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and more. Here’s a trailer for Ron’s Gone Wrong animated by DNEG:
What’s the Netflix release date for Nimona?
Netflix has confirmed that Nimona will be released on the streamer sometime in 2023, reiterated by a report by USA Today in January 2023.
Are you looking forward to the animated movie coming to Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.