Problems continue to mount for Netflix's The Witcher adaptation, with criticism from the franchise's creator representing yet another setback. Starring Henry Cavill as the titular Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher seasons 1 and 2 proved successful enough to tempt Netflix into expanding its fictional fantasy universe with spinoffs The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and The Witcher: Blood Origin. Cavill will hop back into the tub for The Witcher season 3, which is due in mid-2023, but problems have started to mount for the live-action adaptation's future.In a potentially fatal blow, Henry Cavill confirmed The Witcher season 3 would be his last, with Netflix's adaptation immediately announcing Luke Hemsworth as a replacement. Though the lesser-spotted Hemsworth may ultimately prove himself a compelling Geralt, losing Cavill may not be an injury The Witcher can simply walk off. In another unwelcome end-of-year twist for Netflix, The Witcher: Blood Origin aired to widespread derision, adding another sour note onto the lead-in to season 3 in 2023.
The Witcher Author's Comments Are Bad For Season 3
The Witcher's run of misfortune continues, as Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the original Witcher book series, has offered a less-than-glowing assessment of Netflix's live-action adaptation. Speaking at Taipei International Book Exhibition (via RedanianIntelligence), Sapkowski reviewed the Netflix interpretation with the quip, "I’ve seen better. I’ve seen worse." At a time when hype for The Witcher season 3 has already been dented by both Cavill leaving and Blood Origin bombing, such a lukewarm, middle-of-the-road, unenthusiastic response from the franchise's creator is far from ideal.
One must take Andrzej Sapkowski's comment with a generous grain of salt, of course. The author does not express any explicit dislike toward Netflix's The Witcher adaptation, and Sapkowski has actually offered more positive opinions on the live-action TV show in the past. Andrzej Sapkowski has historically also remained cool on the immensely popular The Witcher video game series, so the Netflix TV show finds itself in good company, at least. Nevertheless, strong words of faith from the author might have injected more anticipation and excitement into the Netflix Witcher universe as season 3 approaches. "I've seen better" fails to do that.
The Witcher Is Falling Behind Its Fantasy Rivals
The Witcher arrived on Netflix at the perfect time. Game of Thrones had reached its infamously disappointing conclusion and Amazon's The Lord of the Rings TV show was still enduring a lengthy development, creating a fantasy vacuum that Geralt of Rivia ably filled. The situation in 2023 is quite different, with House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power both enjoying high-profile releases the previous year, both benefiting from mammoth budgets, and both drawing from franchises packing more mainstream clout than The Witcher. Suddenly, Geralt becomes the underdog of TV fantasy.
Andrzej Sapkowski's comment about The Witcher on Netflix only serves to highlight how far behind his rivals Geralt of Rivia has fallen. George R.R. Martin was a driving creative force behind House of the Dragon, giving the Game of Thrones prequel the authenticity that can only come from the man who crafted that world. For obvious reasons, J.R.R. Tolkien will not be giving his opinion on The Rings of Power, but Amazon did collaborate with the Tolkien Estate, which is as close as a Lord of the Rings TV show can come to an official seal of approval.
With Andrzej Sapkowski judging Netflix's interpretation of his work with such indifference, The Witcher falls further behind its two biggest rivals in the fantasy TV sphere. Already at a disadvantage due to its budget and lesser standing within the genre, Netflix's The Witcher TV shows struggling to impress the man who wrote the books puts Middle-earth and Westeros even further ahead. Before The Witcher season 3 has aired a single minute, the franchise is on the back foot.
The Witcher's Problems Are Bigger Than Season 3
The Witcher's problems would actually be fairly easy to solve if the answer were as simple as season 3 being good. Despite Blood Origin's woes, The Witcher itself has enjoyed a largely positive reception, receiving praise for its visuals, action, characters, and Henry Cavill's performance. Should The Witcher season 3 continue in that same vein - and there is no reason it shouldn't - the franchise could quickly dispel any lingering memories of its failed prequel, and would even prove it deserved a little more paternal praise from Andrzej Sapkowski.
This is where the exit of Henry Cavill from The Witcher becomes such a sticky issue. Even if The Witcher season 3 proves to be an exemplary piece of television that puts other franchises to shame and makes its creator shed tears of pride, the prospect of The Witcher season 4 happening without its leading star hangs heavy overhead. No matter how great season 3 may be, trouble lies ahead in The Witcher's future, and that ominous cloud of near-certain disappointment is hard to shake. Andrzej Sapkowski's "I've seen better" comment perhaps exemplifies the feeling of apathy that has seeped into The Witcher ahead of season 3.