Netflix debuts The Witcher, its big new fantasy series, later this month. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, the show tells the story of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a professional monster hunter making his way in a world where the people can be more dangerous than the beasts.
Geralt’s name is in the title (well, his profession is in the title), but The Witcher will split its focus between three characters. Netflix has released a trio of video deep dives, so you can get to know them all, starting with the Butcher of Blaviken himself:
Next up, we have Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a magical adept who goes from being a young, scared girl to a powerful sorceress:
And finally, there’s Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan), or Ciri to her friends. She goes on a frightening journey of her own:
Speaking at MCM Comic Con, The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich actually said she considered based the show off The Lady of the Lake, one of the later books in the Witcher saga, and making Ciri our point of entry into the world. “I realized as I started writing that version that I wasn’t getting enough of Geralt and his perspective, because it was being told through Ciri,” Hissrich explains in a video from MCM Comic Con. “So it actually took me a while; I went through several versions.”
A few rewrites later, and we have the show we’re going to see: one with a lead trio rather than one hero. “What I wanted to capture is these women before they were seen through the lens of anyone else,” Hissrich said. “In the books, all the characters are met through Geralt, so you get Geralt’s impression of them, then you get to meet them, and I wanted the world to see Ciri who she was first.”
The Witcher drops on Netflix on December 20!
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h/t PC Gamer