Wolf King
Wolf King | |
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![]() Promotional poster | |
Genre | |
Based on | Wereworld by Curtis Jobling |
Written by |
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Directed by | Tom Brass |
Voices of |
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Composer | Thomas Haines |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Editor | Darren Millstone |
Running time | 24–32 minutes |
Production company | Lime Pictures |
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | March 20, 2025 |
Wolf King is a British animated epic fantasy-adventure television series based on the Wereworld novels by Curtis Jobling, who wrote six of the eight episodes. Produced by Lime Pictures, the series stars Cel Spellman in the title role and was released on March 20, 2025, on Netflix.[3]
Premise
[edit]In a land once subjugated by werelords, sixteen-year-old Drew Ferran realizes he is the last member in a long ancestral line of werewolves. Drew must confront and overthrow the tyrannical rule of the lionlords and take back the throne as the rightful wolf king.
Voice cast and characters
[edit]- Cel Spellman as Drew Ferran, the main protagonist and the titular character. A young boy who discovers he is not only the last werewolf, but the son and heir of the wolf king Wergar. Honorable and courageous, Drew wants to protect his friends from their enemies.
- Louis Landau as Trent Ferran, Tilly and Mack's son and Drew's foster brother
- David Yip as
- Hamwell, a villager from Motley
- Baron Huth, the boarlord of Redmire and father of Hector and Vincent
- Kim Adis as Erin, Hamwell's daughter and Drew's childhood girlfriend
- Peter Serafinowicz as
- Mack Ferran, Drew's adoptive father
- Duke Manfred, a staglord and longtime ally of Duke Bergan
- Kate Fleetwood as
- Tilly Ferran, Mack's wife and Drew's adoptive mother
- Duchess Rainier, Whitley and Broghan's mother and Duke Bergan's wife
- Queen Amelie, Drew's and Lucas' biological mother and the queen of Lyssia who sent Drew away as an infant for safety after the defeat and death of King Wergar
- Rob Rackstraw as
- Lord Vanmorten, a ratlord who serves King Leopold as one of his chief enforcers
- Lord Vankaskan, a ratlord and Vanmorten's twin brother. He is a magister who is capable of casting and manipulating dark magic.
- Nina Barker Francis as Whitley, A female werebear, daughter of Duke Bergan and Gretchen's cousin who befriends Drew. A spirited, rebellious, and fearless tomboy, Whitley is the first to discover that Drew is the rightful wolf king and Lyssia’s only hope to restore the balance.
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as
- Master Hogan, Whitley's scoutmaster
- The werelord of Bast, an ally of King Leopold, whom Trent sets out to find
- Paterson Joseph as Duke Bergan, the werebear lord of Brackenholme, who swore to protect the future wolf king, Drew Ferran
- Samuel Anderson as Broghan, Whitley's brother and son of Bergan who is fiercely protective of his home and family
- Tom Rhys Harries as Prince Lucas, a young werelion, King Leopold's spoiled and selfish son, Gretchen's betrothed, and Drew's half-brother
- Chris Lew Kum Hoi as Hector, the nerdy son of a wereboar lord who becomes Drew’s friend and confidante. He is training to be a magister, an amalgamation of a wizard and a magistrate.
- Georgia Lock as Gretchen, the Rose of Hedgemoor. Initially stuck-up and seemingly a spoiled princess, Gretchen shows a good deal of spunkiness and courage. At first, looking down on Drew as a "mongrel", Gretchen eventually warms up to him and comes to accept him as the true wolf king.
- Colin Ryan as Vincent, Hector's conniving brother who is loyal to the Lions
- Ralph Ineson as King Leopold, a lionlord of Bast, the tyrannical ruler of Lyssia, and the main antagonist
- David Dawson as Count Vega, a wereshark and former ruler of the Cluster Isles. He now lives a life of piracy aboard his ship, the Maelstrom.
- Rasmus Hardiker as Earl Mikkel, Manfred's brother and a fellow staglord
Episodes
[edit]No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |||
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1 | "The Rise of the Wolf" | Tom Brass | Curtis Jobling Tim Compton | March 20, 2025 | |||
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2 | "Brackenholme" | Tom Brass | Curtis Jobling | March 20, 2025 | |||
Drew is imprisoned in Brackenholme and is informed by Broghan, the Duke's son and Whitley's brother, that Bergan will speak to him after the Lionguard have left the city. Alongside the soldiers, King Leopod's son Lucas is in Brackenholme for a feast celebrating his betrothal to Bergan's niece Gretchen, accompanied by ratlord magister Vankaskan and his apprentice Hector. Believing that Hector's training can help her determine Drew's true heritage, Whitley tricks the guards into allowing them access to the prison, and they realize that the discovery of a new wolflord is a threat to Leopold and Lucas' claim to the throne of Lyssia. During the feast, Lucas and Vankaskan question Bergan and his family about their prisoner, but they do not reveal Drew's identity. Lucas notices claw marks on Hector's hand, deduces that the prisoner is a werelord, and orders him to be brought to him. Drew escapes from his cell and is intercepted by Whitley. They fight briefly, but Drew is forced to transform into a wolf to save her from a fall, and they land in the Brackenholme market. The townspeople are shocked by the return of a new wolflord, while Lucas grows enraged. | |||||||
3 | "The Caged Beast" | Tom Brass | Curtis Jobling | March 20, 2025 | |||
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4 | "The Wyrmwood" | Tom Brass | Curtis Jobling | March 20, 2025 | |||
The trio survives the fall and flees Brackenholme in a rowboat. Gretchen and Drew argue, with the former furious that Drew has ruined her wedding and forced her to leave home against her will. She later tries to abandon the boys, but is captured by a Wyldermen tribe who worship Vala, a wereserpent werelord who cast her humanity aside and succumbed to her reptilian nature. Hector uses a forbidden communing ritual to reanimate a Coldwood, a Wylderman shaman killed by Drew, and find out where they are holding Gretchen, whom the tribe plans to sacrifice to Vala. Upon finding and rescuing her, Vala reveals herself and ambushes the group, but is ultimately defeated by Drew after a fierce battle. Drew suddenly collapses, having been poisoned by Vala's venomous bite during the struggle. Dragging him to the boat, Hector and Gretchen decide to head to the nearby village of Motley. Hector notices a black mark on his palm that he is unable to remove and hallucinates Coldwood attacking him, indicating that something had gone wrong with his earlier ritual. | |||||||
5 | "Return to Motley" | Tom Brass | Julie Bower | March 20, 2025 | |||
Vala's poison causes Drew to experience nightmares of being taken over by his werewolf side, and makes him act aggressively towards his friends. Waking up, Drew realizes the group is back in Motley and warns Hector and Gretchen that the townspeople blame him for murdering his mother. They come across a prisoner, Hamwell, who tells Drew that the Lionsguard tore the town apart searching for him. Drew reaches his family farm and finds it destroyed before fleeing and stumbling upon his mother's grave. As the poison continues to affect Drew's behaviour, the group inadvertently discovers a chest that Tilly had kept hidden. Inside are symbols of loyalty from three werelords (the bears, the stags, and the sharks) promising to protect him. They resolve to find Vega, the pirate captain wereshark, and ask for his aid. Victor gains permission from Leopold to court Whitley, much to her frustration, and Bergan reluctantly agrees to avoid suspicion from the crown. The Lionsguard kills Drew's childhood friend Erin, and he loses control, shifting into a werewolf and cornering Gretchen. | |||||||
6 | "The Maelstrom" | Tom Brass | Andrew Burrell | March 20, 2025 | |||
Hector calms Drew and causes him to change back into his human form. Traveling to All Hallows Bay, the group finds Count Vega at a local inn and is granted passage on his ship, the Maelstrom, after Hector shows him the symbol they found at the farmhouse. Drew and Gretchen reconcile, but she chooses to stay behind and plans to travel back to Brackenholme to marry Lucas. Bergan and Whitley are summoned to an audience with King Leopold at Highcliff and are mocked by Lucas, who forces Whitley to be a bridesmaid at his upcoming wedding. He later threatens Whitley not to step out of line. Vega trains Drew in combat and advises him on how to control his werelord powers and harness them without being overcome. Exploring the Maelstrom, Hector finds Gretchen has been taken captive and discovers that Vega plans to take the group to Highcliff to gain favour with the King. Drew fights Vega but is overpowered. | |||||||
7 | "Chained" | Tom Brass | Celia Morgan Tim Compton | March 20, 2025 | |||
The Maelstrom docks in Highcliff, and Vega presents Drew to King Leopold for a reward, while Gretchen and Hector are returned to Lucas and Vankaskan. When Vega tries to extort Leopold and reclaim his home in the Cluster Isles, Leopold denies him. Leopold tells Drew he will be executed on the morning of the royal wedding. Bergan and Whitley meet up with the stag lords Mikkel and Manfred, two of King Weregar's staunchest allies, and they break Drew free of his imprisonment, but Drew later surrenders to Lucas when he and his guards corner Whitley. As punishment, Leopold assigns Whitley tro serve Queen Amel,ie who is trapped in a trance-like state thanks to Vankaskan's dark magic. Gretchen expresses second thoughts to Hector about marrying Lucas, and tries to convince him to spare Drew. When he is undeterred, she steals the key to Drew's cell, but he refuses to take it out of fear that she will be hurt when Lucas and Leopold find out that she betrayed them. Bergan confronts Vega for turning his back on the wolves, and inadvertently discovers that Mack and Trent have joined the Lionsguard. | |||||||
8 | "The Fall of the Lion" | Tom Brass | Curtis Jobling | March 20, 2025 | |||
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Production
[edit]The series was first announced in June 2022, initially bearing the same title as the source material.[1] In June 2024, during Netflix's Next On Netfix: Animation upfront presentation, the official title Wolf King was revealed with a 2025 release window and that Tom Brass would be directing.[4] Wereworld author and creator Curtis Jobling was revealed to serve as a producer, alongside Angelo Abela, Tim Compton and Barry Quinn.[5] Jellyfish Pictures in London and Assemblage Entertainment in Mumbai provided animation services for the series.
Release
[edit]In September 2024, an announcement teaser was unveiled during Netflix's virtual Geeked Week event.[2] In February 2025, a full-length trailer was released along with its release date of March 20, 2025.[3] All eight episode of Wolf King were released in March 2025 on Netflix.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Milligan, Mercedes (June 9, 2022). "Netflix Sets Bold Slate of Animation from Europe Ahead of Annecy". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Goldbart, Max (September 16, 2024). "Wolf King: Netflix Unveils Teaser & New Title For Animated Fantasy Adventure Series Based On Curtis Jobling Novels". Deadline. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Chapman, Stephen (February 21, 2025). "'Werewolves, Northern heroes and Netflix – Lime's debut animation gets trailer". Prolific North. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Amidi, Amid (June 6, 2024). "Netflix Animation Upfront: Over 30 New Series And Features Teased For 2024 And 2025". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "Netflix Previews Massive Upcoming 2024-2025 Animation Slate". Animation World Network. June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
External links
[edit]- 2025 animated television series debuts
- 2025 British television series debuts
- 2020s British animated television series
- Animated adventure television series
- Animated fantasy television series
- Animated television series about bears
- Animated television series about lions
- Animated television series about shapeshifting
- Animated television series by Netflix
- British computer-animated television series
- British English-language television shows
- Coming-of-age television shows
- High fantasy television series
- Teen animated television series
- Television series about kings
- Television series about sharks
- Television series about werewolves
- Television series by All3Media
- Television shows based on British novels