Doug Cockle, the voice behind Geralt of Rivia in CD Projeckt Red's The Witcher games, has taken to Twitter to praise Netflix's adaptation of the popular series. Cockle has voiced Geralt ever since the first game came out in 2007 on PC. Fans can also hear him voice the character in short cinematics that were used to market the main games.
In The Witcher games players control protagonist Geralt of Rivia, a genetically modified mercenary who specializes in hunting monsters. The games are known for their rich lore and brutality, as well as the complex choices that players are forced to make during their travels. Both the Netflix show and the games are based on the fantasy series written by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The writer originally began working on the series in the 1980s and his work has since been translated into twenty different languages.
Doug Cockle posted on Twitter to praise the Netflix adaptation after watching it. He does acknowledge that he found the time jumps difficult to process sometimes, but that in the end everything makes a lot more sense. Cockle genuinely seems to love the performance that Cavill and the others gave, and his fans mostly seem to agree. Several Twitter users proclaim that Cockle himself should be given a cameo appearance on the show, while others note how much of a similarity there is between his and Henry Cavill's performances.
The TV series released in its entirety on December 20th of 2019. This first season consists of eight episodes cataloguing the adventurers of three different main characters: Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri. The show jumps around chronologically in a way that some critics and fans found confusing and distracting, which is what Cockle himself stated as one of the more challenging elements while viewing. Netflix has already announced that there will be a season two, but have not specified which part of The Witcher canon it will cover.
Cockle has gained a huge following and renown for his role as Geralt of Rivia. When imagining Geralt it is almost impossible for some fans to separate his voice from the character. There was a fair amount of shock from fans when they realized that Henry Cavill was playing one of gaming's biggest protagonists. Most of this trepidation was washed away when the series released and Cavill showed how much work he had brought to the character. Hopefully Doug Cockle's kind words will allow The Witcher fans to realize that there is enough room for two men to be Geralt of Rivia.
The Witcher is available streaming now exclusively on Netflix.
Source: Doug Cockle/Twitter