Netflix is making a show based on The Witcher, Andrzej Sapkowski’s series of novels about a demon hunter killing and finessing his way through a medieval fantasy world. It looks like things are going well. By some accounts, the streaming service is so pleased with production it’s ready to order multiple seasons before the first one airs.
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But the show hasn’t been without controversy, particularly when it comes to casting. Some fans, for instance, have been wary over Netflix’s choice to give the lead role of Geralt of Rivia to Henry Cavill, best known as Superman in the DC Extended Universe movies. In an interview with the Polish outlet Onet Film, Witcher creative producer Tomasz Baginski is here to set their minds at ease. “[O]f course I’m satisfied,” he said. “The audience will love him.”
But that’s not the only casting controversy the show has endured. Some have spoken out against the casting of Anya Chalotra as the sorceress Yennefer, Geralt’s love interest, both because of her age (Cavill is 35 and Chalotra 22) and, less comfortably, because of her coloring — Chalotra is of Indian descent.
OK, I’m going to say it.
— FE FI FO FILM! (@FionaUnderhill) October 10, 2018
I’m annoyed that they have cast a 21 year old (who looks about 15) as the love interest of Henry Cavill (35) in #TheWitcher
They adopt a teenage girl together. This casting makes zero sense. pic.twitter.com/326hFI57ed
Anya Chalotra looks way to young for Yennefer. Seeing her picture next to Cavil is so off-putting. #TheWitcher
— Becca (@hiitsbecca) October 10, 2018
Anya Chalotra is too dark to be Yennefer, show is set in Europe, isnt she too dark or only I think that?
— Or (@OrRavid2002) October 10, 2018
Personally, I can get behind the criticisms about Chalotra’s age but not her skin tone, but that’s another discussion. In any case, Baginski addressed some of these criticisms:
"Fans aren’t some homogenous group. Such statements are embarrassing to me, especially given that a big part of the noise came from Poland. But I don’t feel resentment towards the fans, I understand where it’s coming from. People care a lot about this project, they want it to conquer the world. Sometimes they’re too sharp in this will. And, to add to that, everyone has their own vision of The Witcher. I can only repeat that all the casting choices in the series are deliberate. There are no accidental actors."
Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich, who’s more than happy to share her takes with fans on Twitter, said much the same thing. “We’re looking for the best actors for these roles,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in October. “Period. End of story.”
Netflix is shooting The Witcher right now in eastern Europe. We don’t know for sure, but it’s possible it could drop by the end of the 2019. Here’s hoping the cast gels.
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h/t VGR, Bounding Into Comics