The Witcher is a new fantasy adventure series. It debuted on Netflix on December 20, 2019.
The series is based on the book series of the same name. The book series, also, inspired a video game series.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new Netflix original series.
- The Witcher is an American fantasy drama web television series
- It is created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for Netflix
- It is based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
- The series premiered on Netflix on December 20, 2019
- A second season was announced on November 13, 2019
- The Witcher follows the story of Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, who struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than monsters and beasts
- But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a special gift, the three must learn to navigate independently the increasingly volatile Continent
- Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher book series was almost adapted into a standalone Netflix film
- But Kelly Luegenbiehl, Vice President of International Originals at Netflix, dissuaded the producers
- She recalled asking them, “How can you take eight novels and just turn it into a film? There’s so much material here. Through a number of conversations, the producers got really excited about the idea of using the source material for a longer-running series”
- In May 2017, Netflix announced the start of production on an English-language drama TV series based on the books
- In December 2017, it was reported that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich would serve as showrunner on the show
- In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the script for the pilot episode was finished
- And the first season would be eight episodes long
- In 2017, it was reported that Andrzej Sapkowski would serve as a creative consultant on the show
- But in January 2018, Sapkowski denied any direct involvement
- However, he met with Schmidt Hissrich in April 2018
- And in May 2018 she stated that Sapkowski is on the creative team of the project
- Alik Sakharov is a director and Andrew Laws a production designer on the show
- In September 2018, it was announced that Henry Cavill would play Geralt of Rivia
- By October 2018, the rest of the cast was announced
- With Mia McKenna-Bruce being cast as Marilka
- In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the show would be filmed in Eastern Europe
- Principal photography for the first season began on October 31, 2018, in Hungary
- In March 2019, production moved to Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, with some scenes planned to be shot in the islands of La Palma and La Gomera as well
- Filming ended in Ogrodzieniec Castle in Poland
- Filming for the first season was concluded in May 2019
- In April 2019, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos told investors in an earnings call that the series would be released in late 2019
- Netflix released the first teaser for the series at San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, 2019
- The first full trailer was revealed at Lucca Comics & Games on October 31, 2019
- Netflix released a final trailer on December 12, 2019
- The series had its early premiere on Służewiec Racetrack in Warsaw on December 18, 2019
- The series premiered on December 20, 2019
- The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 58% approval rating for the first season
- With an average rating of 5.37/10
- Based on 43 reviews
- The website’s critical consensus reads, “The world of The Witcher still only feels half-formed as it gallops onto screens, but Henry Cavill brings brawny charisma to a series teeming with subversive fantasy elements and dark humor”
- Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 53 out of 100
- Based on 15 critics for the first season
- Indicating “mixed or average reviews”
