Netflix has already proven it’s possible to make a great video game adaptation thanks to the Castlevania animated series. Now they’re looking to repeat that accomplishment in live-action, as the streaming giant prepares an adaptation of the massively popular action RPG series The Witcher starring Superman himself, Henry Cavill.
From the cast to the release date to the plot, here’s everything we know about Netflix’s Witcher series so far.
Beyond that, little is known about the plot of Season 1. We do know that the show will be based specifically on Sapkowski’s Witcher novels rather than the video games. That being said, the first image of Cavill as Geralt proves that the series won’t necessarily be deviating far from the look of the games, either.
For those not familiar with the Witcher Saga novels or the games, the series takes place in a fantasy realm called The Continent, one where human settlers have subjugated the native elves, dwarves and gnomes. The southern half of The Continent is ruled by the the Nilfgaard Empire, which is constantly at war with the Northern Kingdoms (where most of these stories take place).
Witchers like Geralt are superhumanly powerful hunters renowned for their skill in tracking down and killing rare, dangerous creatures. The main books in the series revolve around Geralt, his lover Yennefer and their adopted daughter Ciri. Ciri’s powerful magical potential makes her a person of great interest as a new war in The Continent brews.
The Development
While Netflix has largely kept the plot of The Witcher under wraps, new announcements have come fairly regularly since the series was first revealed. Here’s a quick breakdown of the big announcements so far.
November 2015 – Polish company Platige Image announces plans for an English language Witcher movie.
May 2017 – Platige Image partners with Netflix to create a streaming series instead of the originally planned movie adaptation.
December 2017 – Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is announced as showrunner.
January 2018 – The pilot script is completed.
April 2018 – Schmidt Hissrich reveals the first season will be eight episodes and that filming will take place mostly in Eastern Europe.
May 2018 – After rumors of his involvement surface, Andrzej Sapkowski is confirmed to be serving as creative consultant.
August 2018 – Casting scripts leak online, but Schmidt Hissrich confirms the material isn’t being used in the series itself.
September 2018 – Henry Cavill is confirmed to star as Geralt of Rivia.
October 2018 – The rest of the cast is revealed. Production begins in Hungary.
March 2019 – Production moves to the Canary Islands.
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