Disney's canceled animated feature Nimona will now be released on Netflix.
N.D. Stevenson, who created the original graphic novel the film is based on, shared the news on Twitter. "Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop," they wrote. "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."
Originally published as a webcomic, Nimona follows the story of its titular hero, a shapeshifter who is recruited to be the sidekick of the villainous Ballister Blackheart. Together, the pair terrorize a medieval land ruled over by a morally questionable Institution and defended by Ballister's former classmate, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin. The full series was collected into a graphic novel and published by HarperCollins in 2015.
That same year, Nimona was optioned to become an animated film by Blue Sky Studios, with Patrick Osborne as director. However, once Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and all its assets, the House of Mouse shut down Blue Sky, with Nimona supposedly "75% complete" at the time. After Disney was found to be donating to politicians who supported Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill, three former staff members of Blue Sky said they felt pressured by Disney to tone down Nimona's queer themes and remove a scene with a same-sex kiss. Chloë Grace-Moritz and Riz Ahmed were cast as Nimona and Ballister, respectively. They will reprise their roles in the revived film, with Eugene Lee Yang joining the line-up as Ambrosius. Nick Bruno and Troy Quane will take over as directors from Osborne.
Outside of Nimona, Stevenson is best known as the executive producer and showrunner for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a reboot of the 80's animated series of a similar name. Running for five seasons on Netlfix, She-Ra received praise for its storytelling, diverse cast and prominent queer themes and characters. Stevenson also co-created the teen adventure comic Lumberjanes for BOOM! Studios, which is set to be adapted into an animated series for HBO Max, with Stevenson on board as a producer.
Nimona will release in 2023 on Netflix.
Source: Twitter