Netflix has revealed the teaser trailer and key art for new animated film Nimona, coming to the streaming service on June 30, 2023. The film is based on the National Book Award-nominated, New York Times best-selling graphic novel (buy now at Amazon) by ND Stevenson.
Directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, Nimona is an epic tale about finding friendship in the most surprising situations and accepting yourself and others for who they are.
When Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight in a futuristic medieval world, is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem – who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy.
But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc – for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to… just wreak serious havoc.
The screenplay is by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor from a story by Baird, Taylor, Pamela Ribon, Marc Haimes, Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, and Keith Bunin.
The producers are Karen Ryan, Julie Zackary, and Roy Lee. The executive producers are Megan Ellison, Robert L. Baird, Andrew Millstein, and John Powers Middleton. The co-producer is ND Stevenson.
The voice cast also includes Eugene Lee Yang (Ambrosius Goldenloin), Frances Conroy (The Director), Lorraine Toussaint (Queen Valerin), and Beck Bennett (Sir Thoddeus Sureblade).
The cast is rounded out by Indya Moore (Alamzapam Davis), RuPaul Charles (Nate Knight), Julio Torres (Diego the Squire), Sarah Sherman (Coriander Cadaverish)
“There were probably millions of takes of me doing absolutely off-the-wall crazy stuff, but you can really tell how she has ups and downs, she’s throwing all these things out there, and then will kind of slam you rock hard in your stomach with this sweet honesty when she gets to her own truth,” Chloë Grace Moretz told Netflix’s Tudum.
“In those moments your heart really melts for her, and that’s something that really came across on the page and even more so in the movie now.”
“We mean ‘tease’ in the truest sense,” directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane said about the new teaser trailer. “Something that celebrates the impish disruptor of a spirit that is Nimona. Almost like she reached out from the movie and took over the idea just to stir things up a bit.
“And even though it’s a bit of a stylistic departure from the look of the film at the beginning, it gives a fun little glimpse into the mischievous mind and imagination of Nimona herself. We hope you have fun watching it and we can’t wait to share even more mischief from Nimona in the upcoming weeks!”
“When I heard about this story, I just felt an instant connection to it and to Ballister, and I think others will too because most of us have known what it’s like to be on the outside,” Ahmed said.
“That’s what Ballister is really dealing with, a sense of being an impostor who so badly wants to prove he’s worthy of this institution. But of course, what you realize by the end is that you don’t get your sense of worth from other people telling you what you’re worth. You have to think for yourself and live by your own values.”
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to cover the latest streaming, movie, TV, and game news.