Netflix’s The Witcher is a series that has already been surrounded by several controversies, but there’s still plenty of time before its release for Netflix to pull the series together and produce something both the fans and Netflix themselves can be proud of. The Witcher is such an iconic series by this point that it will take a lot of effort if Netflix is to keep the already sizeable audience the series boasts. From the mythical beasts hunted down by the serious and stoic Geralt of Rivia, to the colorful cast of witches and non-human characters alike, and even the complex socio-economic politics of the time in which The Witcher takes place, there’s plenty Netflix will need keep up with in order to impress longtime fans.
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The Hair
While fans of The Witcher haven’t seen much from the new upcoming series, the brief teaser featuring the first look at Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Riveria. Let’s just say that fans were less than pleased at the state of Geralt, and his majestic white hair. The jury is still out on whether or not Cavill will be able to fill the role in a way that fans will agree with, but there’s certainly been an outcry as to whether or not Geralt’s hair is working, and it looks like he’ll have to take another trip to the nearest barber in Novigrad.
Poor Writing
A major mistake that Netflix’s The Witcher series needs to avoid is not having a script that is up to par. An important thing to remember is that The Witcher has already had two interpretations that were driven by excellent writing and world-building. The bar has already been set pretty high and with a character as beloved as Geralt, who many fans have spent hundreds of hours playing as it set the standard incredibly high for the series. However, Netflix has been pretty good about adapting source material and respecting the legacy of the properties they’ve worked with, as we’ve seen with the Marvel properties and the recent Umbrella Academy adaptation.
Poor Effects
A story about a magical platinum-haired monster is bound to be heavily dependent on the effects budget that it has been alotted. If we as an audience are to believe that Henry Cavill has become Geralt and is, in fact, hunting Archgriffins, Nightwraiths, or a good ol’ fashions Water Hag, then we’ll need to see some believable special effects. It’s not simply the magical creatures that Geralt will spend the series hunting, but also the elves, dwarves, and witches around him along with the magic they use. Netflix seems to have no issues dumping large amounts of cash in series that they believe will succeed, so we’ll have to hope they’re willing to do something similar for Geralt.
The Creatures & The Hunt
The last thing that fans of the books and games want for the series is for it to be reduced to a simple formulaic hunt for this episode’s monster with the occasional two-parter thrown in for good measure. The hunt, from Geralt’s perspective, is something that often takes a lot of time to prep for while gathering information from the locals. The monsters need to be larger than life, awe-inspiring, and majestic (or disgusting in some cases), so the hunt for them and any information that could bring them down should be treated with the same reverence.
Brutal & Beautiful
Whether Geralt will be traveling through the bustling ports of Novigrad or traversing the beautiful peaks of Skellige, it’s all but guaranteed that Geralt will be either chasing danger or not too far from danger finding him. It’s important that Netflix remember that Geralt’s world is expansive, astonishing, and incredibly frightening. One of the things that was so amazing about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was just how vast it felt while somehow being filled to the brim with new and exciting things to do and discover. The Netflix series will be standing on the shoulders of a beloved book series filled with long-winded descriptions of The Continent, as well as the world Projekt CD Red built throughout the course of the games. Let’s just hope they can bring the complex world of The Witcher to life in a way that keeps it from Netflix’s all-too-active chopping block.
Henry Cavill’s Performance
One of the most important factors that will determine the fate of Netflix’s Witcher series will be the performance that Henry Cavill gives. What makes adapting a character that’s already been in both books and video games hard is that fact that some many people have already been Geralt in their own minds. It’s personal.
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Which means that any choice Cavill makes that might skew from the audience's vision of Geralt may be met with at least some disdain. Cavill does, however, have many fans fuelled up to see what he’ll be bringing to the beloved character. At this point, all we can do is hope for the best. And maybe work on that hair.
Roach
It’d be pretty damn hard to have a Witcher series without Geralt trusty and faithful sidekick. No, not Vesemir. We're referring to his trusty steed(s) Roach. Something that new fans of the most recent Witcher game may not know is that Roach is actually the name that Geralt gives all of his horses. And while nobody likes to see innocent horses getting hurt or killed (losing Artax in the swamp of sadness still hurts), there’s definitely the possibility of a running gag surrounding Geralt’s many horses all with the name Roach.
Socio-Economic Landscape
The Continent, the world that Geralt’s adventures take place in, is a complex world filled with warring kingdoms, magical creatures, mortals fighting for power, and non-humans fighting for basic rights in most kingdoms. Netflix’s The Witcher has the potential to become for them what Game Of Thrones became for HBO; A massively popular book series that exploded onto screens because of its complexities, a unique voice, and the willingness to take audiences to places they never expected to go. But all of that sprouts from the detail and passion George R. R. Martin put into his books, which made it possible to create such a vibrant and wide-reaching hit. Let’s hope that Netflix can learn from failures like Marco Polo and create something truly epic for fans across the globe.