After seven years of toil and trouble, a cancelation by Disney, and resurrection by Annapurna and Netflix, ND Stevenson’s Nimona is finally ready to make a splash on the small screen. Nimona is a larger-than-life tale of identity, othering, acceptance, and finding ways to stand out in a world that fears what it does not understand. In the film, 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 — a mischievous teen who happens to be a shapeshifting creature he’s sworn to destroy. With brilliant animation from DNEG, Nimona leaps off the screen with style, vibrant colors, and attitude.
We had the pleasure of speaking with key members of the cast and crew, including Nimona creator ND Stevenson, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, and lead actors Chloë Grace Moretz (Nimona), Riz Ahmed (Ballister Boldheart), and Eugene Lee Yang (Ambrosius Goldenloin). During our time together, we discuss Nimona‘s harrowing journey to the screen, the inspiration behind the film’s spirited performances, the story’s powerful message about identity and acceptance, and more!
Inspired by ND Stevenson‘s (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) webcomic-turned-graphic novel, Nimona was directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane from a screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor (with Baird, Taylor, Bruno, and Quane receiving story credit alongside Pamela Ribon, Marc Haimes, and Keith Bunin). Here’s the synopsis: When Ballister Boldheart, 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, 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.