The Witcher arrives on Netflix on December 20, and Netflix is betting that you’re going to like it. It’s already ordered a second season, after all. And it looks like it’s trying to make sure we don’t have to wait too long to actually see that second season. According to fansite Redanian Intelligence, season 2 will start production on February 17, 2020.
Now, that exact date is subject to flux, but the takeaway is that Netflix is making an effort to get the ball rolling on this thing. However, even if filming does begin on February 17, it’s doubtful we’d get a second season by the end of the year. This is a complicated show with location shooting and special effects and, we can hope, high-quality acting, dialogue, and story development, all of which takes time to get right. Still, not having to wait two years will be nice.
As for what season 2 will involve…well, let’s get through season 1 first. (I have lots of thoughts but have to wait until the embargo lifts to tell you!) Redanian Intelligence has learned that Doctor Who veteran Lucinda Wright has come on board as a costume designer, either to help season 1 designer Tim Aslam or to replace him, and that Royce Pierreson will return as the wizard Istredd.
There’s a fair amount of hype building for The Witcher. It comes with a pretty good pedigree. The show is based on a series of successful fantasy novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski, which were turned into a series of even more successful video games by CD Projekt Red. Henry Cavill plays Geralt of Rivia, the titular monster hunter, a taciturn figure who must navigate a world where the people can be worse than the beasts.
All in all, it’s looking pretty promising. But does the show have what it takes to stand up to heavy hitters like The Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time, which are coming down the road?
All the team can do is their best. Speaking at a fan convention in Italty, showrunner Lauren Hissrich talked about the advice she got from Sapkowski:
"Sapkowski told me what was important to him: to tell the story of three orphans looking for a place in the world, touching on topics such as sexism, xenophobia, racism, society’s difficulty in accepting what is different. Much of the original content from the books remains, full of spectacular fights, incredible adventures and monstrous creatures."
Not long now.
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