Netflix’s Witcher show is “taking the fantasy out,” leaning into horror
By Dan Selcke
If you’re not too busy ruminating over Watchmen or anticipating The Mandalorian, spare a thought for Netflix’s The Witcher, yet another excellent-looking genre show on the horizon. While The Mandalorian is sci-fi and Watchmen more…alternate history superhero story, The Witcher is straight fantasy, with Henry Cavill starring as professional monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, who must contend with beasts both mythic and human alike.
Or is it fantasy? Speaking with SFX Magazine, visual effects supervisor Julian Parry made it sound like the show was going for something different:
"I definitely think it leans more towards horror. We’re definitely taking the fantasy out. I can honestly say we’re not fantastical. I mean, it’s fantastical but in a grounded horror sense. For example, with Striga [a woman cursed to live as a monster], that’s one gnarly-looking thing. That’s very unpleasant!"
Now, before anyone gets panicked about the show itself deemphasizing fantasy, I wouldn’t worry. The Witcher is a fantasy story. It’s right there in the teaser. There are elves and sorceresses and all manner of mythical monsters. Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher novels are a little more grounded than, say, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, but there’s no separating The Witcher from its fantasy roots. I suspect Parry was more talking about the nature of the effects, how they’re taking a more realistic approach.
Also, fantasy stories can be scary. If they adapt Sapkowski’s story right, the episode with the striga will hopefully give some viewers nightmares. Fantasy and horror can definitely coexist peacefully.
Anyway, Parry wasn’t the only one talking to SFX Magazine. Cavill sounded off as well, discussing his connection with Geralt. “What I like about the character is that he’s a good guy, right?” he asked. “Ultimately, deep down in his core, he’s a white knight. But he’s also capable of being incredibly cold and doing what’s necessary. He isn’t just the guy who does the right thing all the time. He has made mistakes and his mistakes have sometimes been bloody and brutal. He takes a real-world view. He’s not a Utopian character at all, he is the best you can get from a very, very harsh world, and he’s incredible at surviving in it.”
"You see Geralt navigating his way through these prejudices, and trying to heal them. And at the same time, also being a weapon of fiery wrath. How can I say this in code? He goes from a particular belief – because that’s how he’s managed to survive in the world so far – and that belief is twisted and turned and evolves into something else, entirely separate."
Very nice dodging, Henry; nothing given away.
In any case, showrunner Lauren Hissrich sounds like she’s very satisfied with Cavill’s work. “Henry is a dream to work with,” she said. “[In our second meeting] I talked to him about the Geralt that we wanted in the show. He talked about how he would best portray Geralt. We talked about white hair and contact lenses and all of the practicalities of embodying this character, which he does so well. And by the end of that meeting I think we both knew it was meant to be and we’ve never looked back. He brings so much heart and soul.”
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The Witcher drops onto Netflix on December. If we’re lucky, it’ll be as good as it looks and we’ll get another season — Hissrich already has plans for several more, after all. In fact, it’s possible that pre-production has already started on a season 2.
Next. After The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars movies are going on “hiatus”. dark
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