In just a few weeks (or two months, it’s still unclear), we’ll be taking in Netflix’s The Witcher, an adaptation of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s series of fantasy novels about a professional monster hunter making his way in a medieval world where the people can be worse than the beasts.
Those books started coming out decades ago, but most people only became familiar with the world of The Witcher with the popular video games by CD Projekt Red. Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich has to walk a fine line to walk with her show, pleasing fans of both mediums while providing something approachable for newcomers. And she has a plan for that.
“The books of Andrzej Sapkowski will always be there,” Hissrich told French magazine Premiere. “The games too. So this show is the third version of this story. The goal, for me, was to recreate the soul of the books, to recreate these characters I felt in love with, while putting them in a new coherent structure, to build a story that makes sense. To create a work that brings something more…”
"We didn’t imagine our show book after book. And that’s exciting. We have an particular approach on The Witcher, relatively unexpected I think. Like the fact that Geralt and Ciri meet already in the first season… We wanted to have a fresh look on this story. All amateurs will be satisfied, in every episode"
Geralt would be that professional monster hunter, and Ciri a young princess who becomes his protégé. By the sound of it, Hissrich is reorganizing things a bit to give us more of a serialized narrative right out of the gate. The first two books in Sapkowski’s series are actually collections of short stories, but if Hissrich wants to leave fans wanting more, she may have to find a way to thread them together.
In any case, Sapkowski is “really happy” with Hissrich’s interpretation, which should count for something since he’s pretty difficult to please. He’s not a fan of the games, for one thing. It’s a good thing the team is sticking to the books, then, with the writing and sets and even the costumes. “We copied nothing from the games, because the show is not an adaptation of the games but the books,” said costume designer Tim Aslam. “Also, some costumes from the games would not have the same effect in real life. So we searched for our own thing, something that fits Lauren’s writing.”
“It was important for the show to keep an authentic style,” added production designer Andrew Lars. “A superb video game already exists, and I clearly didn’t want our show to look like it.” Yeah, they’re steering well clear of the games.
One person very familiar with both is star Henry Cavill, who plays Geralt. “I love to wear this costume and this wig,” he said. “I had to get used to it at first, it was a bit uncomfortable, but then I forgot it completely! Each morning, when I put them on me, I go one step further to the embodiment of the character. It allows me to slip into the shoes of Geralt.”
"I discovered the games, then I discovered the books, and the universe of The Witcher instantly meant something to me. I often thought about playing Geralt. When the opportunity appeared, I didn’t let the chance pass me. I asked my agent to make me meet Lauren as soon as possible… I didn’t even have the need to prepare myself for the role. Because I breathe, I live this universe every day. I already got numerous opportunities to think about this character while I was playing the games. My preparation was already made before the casting started!"
Damn, dude sounds dedicated. Hopefully that’ll make for a better performance.
As for the show itself, Lars wants everybody to know that it’s not a Game of Thrones copycat. It’s NOT. “We are not the poor cousin of Game of Thrones and Lord Of the Rings,” he said. “And not facsimiles. The Witcher has its own universe, even if some elements are common with the mentioned works, but it’s because it’s the genre.”
He’s right about all that, of course — The Witcher is completely its own work — but any big fantasy show nowadays is kind of operating in the shadow of Thrones and Rings, as Lars admits:
"They allowed the audience to understand the fantasy worlds, to imagine universes. It was not really the case before. Today, they know how to read between the lines, so we can insinuate, without necessarily showing everything… even if there wasn’t a lack of budget at all! Netflix gave us enough! We staged some huge sequences. We were able to give to our show a production value worthy of cinema."
Another thing The Witcher will have in common with Game of Thrones: violence, although according to Hissrich it won’t leave anyone without their lunch. “The show is brutal in so many ways, but there is no permanent graphic violence,” she said. “Nothing is gratuitous in what we show. However, we are not afraid to talk about adult themes, like in the books. Racism, sexism, moral and physical violence. Clearly, it’s not a show for kids!”
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Overall, the series sounds like it’s shaping up to be something worth watching. Now if only we could get a release date…
Thanks to Redditor u/Valibomba for translating the Premiere interview!
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h/t IGN