Andrzej Sapkowski is the author behind Netflix’s hit adaption TV series The Witcher, and he has a few opinions on how his source material is accurately being shown. Last week, Sapkowski attended Vienna Comic-Con, where he was asked if he’d given Netflix any feedback when adapting his work into a live-action series. The author gave a sarcastic laugh and replied by saying, “Maybe, I gave them some ideas, but they never listened to me. But it’s normal.” He then broke into an impression of a Netflix executive, believing that they would dismiss his ideas: “Who’s this? It’s a writer, it’s nobody.”

Upon news that Netflix would be adapting a live-action series for The Witcher, the project initially felt full of promise, as a television series would allow for the characters from the beloved story to become fleshed out. On top of that, there was the news that The Witcher fan and resident nerd of Hollywood Henry Cavill had been cast to play the iconic Geralt of Rivia, a role it seemed he was born to play. Cavill reportedly badgered his agent to let him meet with The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich as she recalls him being “really annoying” with his insistence on playing the lead role in the series that (at the time) she hadn’t even begun writing yet, per Vulture.

What Is Going On With ‘The Witcher’ on Netflix?

Sapkowski created an eight-book-long series that Netflix could have used as a guide for its show. However, the streaming platform took creative liberties with the source material, resulting in some major deviations from the books. While that’s not a bad thing, it did upset long-time fans who wanted to see their story follow the books more closely. Cavill himself is a big fan of Sapkowski’s books, and made it publicly known how important it was for him to have the show stay true to the source material, as he once shared “The biggest piece was I wanted to represent as much of a book-accurate Geralt as possible and a lot of the fans did as well.” Showrunner Schmidt-Hissrich shared with Collider during the set visit for Season 3 that Sapkowski’s books are her favorite series, and that the season would be more faithful to his source material.

Although there is no official release date for the upcoming season, the script for The Witcher Season 4 has already been written. Producer Tomek Baginsk shared that the season is “very, very close to the meta ideas which are deeply embedded in the books, especially in book five. It’s very lore-accurate. It’s very close to what was set out in the books and I think this change will be quite flawless.” Although most of the cast is rumored to return for Season 4, Cavill has officially been replaced by Liam Hemsworth.

The Witcher

Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.

Release Date

December 20, 2019

Cast

Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, Mimi Ndiweni, Eamon Farren

Main Genre

Drama

Genres

Drama, Action, Adventure

Rating

TV-MA

Seasons

4

Creator

Lauren Schmidt Hissrich

Watch on Netflix