Everything we know about The Witcher Netflix series, including latest news, release date, cast, story, and much more!
Netflix has begun production of a series based on author Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher books. The upcoming Netflix series is not directly related to the CD Projekt Red video game franchise aside from the similarities that the two will naturally share.
That fact adds a slightly humorous twist to this announcement when you consider that Sapkowski recently spoke out against the artistic merit of the Witcher game saga by calling into question the medium's ability to properly tell such a grand story. Before that, Sapkowski also admitted that he chose not to take a percentage for the adaptation rights, which he later came to regret when the series went on to gross over a billion dollars.
Apparently, the author has worked out a much better deal for the Netflix series, as he spoke quite fondly about the upcoming adaptation in the official press release.
"I'm thrilled that Netflix will be doing an adaptation of my stories," said Sapkowski. "...staying true to the source material and themes that I have spent over 30 years writing. I'm excited about our efforts together as well as the team assembled to shepherd these characters to life."
While The Witcher games do take some liberties with the source material, this series should feature quite a few familiar faces and storylines. We should know much more once the cast is in place.
The Witcher Cast
The Witcher TV series has found the two female leads who will appear opposite Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia, reports THR. In stark contrast to the choice of its household name headliner, the co-starring roles are filled by newcomers.
Freya Allan will play the role Ciri. The young character, known for her grey hair and green eyes, is the prodigious descendant of royal blood from the fallen kingdom of Cintra, possessing innate powers to control time and space. Allan appeared on a recent episode of AMC’s Into the Badlands as a young version of Minerva/The Widow and will next appear in the BBC One The War of the Worlds miniseries.
Anya Chalotra will play Yennefer. The character is a sorceress and the love interest of monster hunter Geralt (Cavill), with whom she becomes the adopted parents of Ciri. Chalotra debuted on the recent Netflix/BBC One TV series, Wanderlust, which stars Toni Collette. She’ll soon appear in the joint Amazon Prime/BBC John Malkovich-starring Agatha Christie mystery, The ABC Murders.
Henry Cavill (Justice League) was recently tapped to star as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's The Witcher. Read more about his casting here.
The Witcher Release Date
The Witcher TV series could hit the air as early as 2020, according to showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich:
- Who knows?! We're moving quickly ahead with everything -- like, my head is spinning around Exorcist-style, except with enthusiasm, not evil possession -- but one thing is certain: quality comes before speed. You'll get it as soon as humanly possible, and it'll be good.
The Witcher Story
Here's the synopsis from Netflix:
"The witcher, Geralt, a mutated monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts."
The Witcher Episodes
Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher will reportedly start with an eight-episode first season. Lauren S. Hissrich, a writer working on the adaptation, confirmed the eight-episode first season on Twitter while addressing concerns that eight episodes aren't enough. Hissrich states that the smaller season allows the team to produce "tight, action-packed" episodes that are free of lagging story moments. She also states that the decision is not representative of any lack of faith in the series or any other financial concerns.
The episodes will each be about an hour long - though Hissrich claims there might be a little variation in each episode's runtime - and that the show is being filmed in Eastern Europe. However, it seems that most of the episodes haven't been formally written as of yet and exist only as ideas.
The Witcher Crew
To run the series, Netflix has brought on Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, writer and executive producer for other successful Netflix properties Daredevil and The Defenders. Hissrich joins the previously announced producing team of Sean Daniel (The Mummy) and Jason Brown (The Expanse).
Tomek Baginski, the man who directed the cinematics for the Witcher games, will also be involved with the project.
Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter 
Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2018 Special Edition Magazine right here!