Krysten Ritter wants to play Natacha again, the witch who holds children captive in Netflix’s Nightbooks and demands a scary story every night. At New York Comic Con on October 8, she singled out the 2021 film as a character she’d love to return to.
Ritter called her Nightbooks witch “the role of a lifetime.” She practiced the witch’s lines on her then-2-year-old son, who laughed and liked the blue hair.
“I play this fabulous witch and I had so much fun with that character I would revisit her,” Ritter said. She described the movie as “horror for kids” and called the role underrated.
She’s already revisiting Jessica Jones in Daredevil: Born Again and returning as a guest star in Dexter: Resurrection season 2. Her Dexter character, serial killer Mia LaPierre, was shown dead in prison, and her season 2 role hasn’t been revealed. At Comic Con, Ritter said her agent calls her the “Black Widow of repeat business” because her characters keep coming back.
Nightbooks, directed by David Yarovesky and produced by Sam Raimi, follows a boy whose survival in a witch’s magical New York apartment depends on his ability to tell frightening tales. It’s still streaming on Netflix, where it’s rated TV-PG.
Ritter’s wish goes back to the film’s release. In a September 16, 2021 interview, she said she’d return “in a heartbeat.” The movie itself leaves an opening: its final moments bring back Natacha’s hand and laughter.
No Nightbooks film sequel has been announced. There is a sequel to J.A. White’s book, though: Gravebooks, published August 16, 2022, brings Natacha back into Alex’s dreams.
