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"The Witcher" on Netflix: content, release date and other revelations

10.10.2019

Translation: machine translated

The Witcher" series will be released on Netflix by the end of the year. Not much is known yet. However, leaked information and the content of the novels give us a few clues.

"The Witcher", Netflix's much-anticipated series, will arrive on our screens by the end of the year. It is based on a series of fantasy novels from the 1990s by Andrzej Sapkowski. The successful video game and comic book adaptations have sometimes taken a lot of liberties with the novels and short stories. As explained showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich to Entertainment Weekly, the Netflix series therefore has no direct similarities with "The Witcher" trilogy from Polish developer CD Projekt Red also behind "Cyberpunk 2077".

Without specifying what signage she was aiming for with this series, she stressed in the interview in question that "The Witcher" was very adult: Geralt hunts monsters in a fantasy universe. However, the focus will be on monsters and horror rather than fantasy. We should expect some sex and nudity, but never gratuitous.

Whether this darkly atmospheric eight-episode first season will be the spiritual heir to "Game of Thrones" remains to be seen. In the meantime, you can read what we already know about "The Witcher" TV series here.

What will the adaptation be about?

"The Witcher" tells the story of the sorcerer Geralt de Riv. In the world imagined by Sapkowski, wizards are monster hunters who develop supernatural faculties from childhood and spend their lives killing fantastical creatures. Geralt is described as a thoughtful and philosophical character. He has a good heart: he helps those in need, even if he doesn't necessarily do it with a smile. The Geralt of the novels is known for his fits of anger and sometimes irrational behaviour. He is also far more melancholy and less cunning than in the video games.

Triss, Geralt and Yennefer in «The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt»

"The Witcher" is set on an unnamed continent that was populated millennia before by elves from across the seas. On their arrival, the elves ran into gnomes and dwarves. After a period of confrontation, the dwarves retreated to the mountains and the elves to the plains and forests.

The human settlers arrived some five hundred years before the events of the series, bringing with them demons and monsters from a parallel world. The elves taught them to use magic to fight the monsters. The first sorcerers appeared. The humans used this new knowledge to launch a series of victorious wars against the races living on the continent. Since then, non-human races have been regarded as second-class individuals who often lead an unenviable existence in ghettos within human colonies.

The southern regions of the continent are controlled by the Empire of Nilfgaard while the north belongs to the fragmented Northern Kingdoms. A great war has already broken out between the two rivals, but a second one looms on the horizon as the series begins.

The southern regions of the continent are controlled by the Nilfgaard Empire, while the north belongs to the fragmented Northern Kingdoms.

The firstfirst great war between Nilfgaard and the Northern Kingdoms
Source: Netflix

And Geralt? He just wants to be left alone. His training as a sorcerer began at an early age, he underwent experiments so that he would develop supernatural faculties. This explains his white skin, white hair and red eyes. At the beginning of the story, he meets Ciri, the princess of Cintra, one of the four Northern Kingdoms. She is on the run from the empire of Nilfgaard and is hiding a terrible secret. Geralt must protect her. They are joined by Yennefer, a magician from Vengerberg, the capital of Aedirn, another Northern Kingdom. Together, they form a kind of atypical family.

Who will star in the series?

After playing Superman in the DC Cinematic Universe and two British secret agents in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Mission Impossible: Fallout", Henry Cavill will take on the role of Geralt of Riv. Cavill is a huge fan of "The Witcher" and in particular "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt", as he revealed to IGN in August 2018 during the promotion of "Mission Impossible". A month later, he was chosen for the role.

Henry Cavill as Geralt of Riv
Source: Netflix

He will be joined by Freya Allan as Ciri and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer.

Yennefer's story precisely should be more fully developed in the series than in the books. This is one of the points on which the series diverges from the saga. At least, that's what showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich said in her interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Anya Chalotra as Yennefer
Source: Netflix

The casting of Triss Merigold has already caused the ire of fans. She will be played by Anna Shaffer.

.. and Triss in the books and video games. — Triss in the series...

The problem is that she sports a dark complexion that isn't exactly Slavic and lacks the flamboyant hair so emblematic of the character. Blackwashing in the name of political correctness? No idea. In any case, it doesn't please the fans.

When will we be able to see the series?

In 2019, by the end of the year then. Netflix is not giving any further details. However, some clues seem to point to a release shortly before Christmas. Thus, the fansite Redandian Intelligence found tweets from Netflix Netherlands posted on 11September that announced "97 sleeps" between now and the release of "The Witcher", which would therefore take us to 17 December 2019.

Two days later, a Netflix spokesperson issued a statement on Video Game Chronicles. He said the tweets were wrong and that the launch date was unconfirmed.

A new trailer is expected to be unveiled on October 31 at the Lucca Comics and Games festival in Italy. Netflix is expected to announce the series' final release date at that time.

Instagram post from the Comics and Games festival in Lucca, Italy.

Finally, you should know that Lauren S. Hissrich warned on Twitter in July 2018 that the first season finale was going to make viewers cry. That could mean anything and nothing at the same time, but either way audiences should be very eager to find out what happens next.

So we have indirect confirmation that the second season will indeed happen. That's a good sign!

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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