Although The Witcher series is a major success for Netflix, it seems to raise some reservations among its creator. At least that’s what we can deduce.
During an interview at Vienna Comic Con, Andrzej Sapkowski, author of The Witcher saga, expressed his feelings about Netflix adapting his books. Asked about his impressions during his visit to the set, Sapkowski certainly expressed admiration, but also mentioned other aspects…
The Witcher: the creator speaks about the series
In particular, he explains that he was impressed by the decorations. “The set was huge, it was so impressive, everything,” he replied to Cerealkillerz. However, he added with a laugh: “Maybe I’ve given some ideas, but they never listen to me. They never listen to me, but that’s normal, ‘Who is this? It’s the writer, it’s nobody.’“
For the record, Sapkowski has written six volumes in his The Witcher series, with another in the works for next year. These novels are the main inspiration for the live-action Netflix series, created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and starring Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan and Joey Batey. Until season 3, Henry Cavill also played the main role of Geralt of Rivia, but he will be replaced in season 4 of The Witcher by Liam Hemsworth.
In this new interview, Sapkowski also shared that he finds it strange to see adaptations of his works on screen. “Every adaptation I saw was strange to me, that’s the right word I guess, strange,” he told the YouTube channel, adding that he is not used to thinking in images when he writes.
A strange feeling
“Any visual adaptation is strange to me,” he continued. “I look and I’m like, ‘Woah, is that how they imagine it? Interesting.’ Sometimes the visual impression is very pleasant for me, sympathetic. Sometimes no, but I’m not going to go into detail….”
Production on The Witcher season 4 has begun, but the filming start date remains unclear. Meanwhile, Netflix has announced a new animated spinoff film titled The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, which will star the games’ actor Doug Cockle as the monster hunter.
The series could deepen the development of main characters like Ciri, Yennefer and others, while introducing new characters and issues. Additionally, the series could continue to weave connections between different timelines and narratives, a feature that has been well-received in previous seasons.
The change in lead actor could also bring a new dynamic to Geralt’s character, thus influencing the direction of the story and interactions with other characters. As with any series adapted from a literary work, there will likely be liberties taken from the books.