After being announced back in 2017, this Christmas will finally see the arrival of the new TV adaptation of The Witcher on Netflix. Though best known as a hugely successful video game series, the new eight-part series is based on the original novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, who’s worked as a consultant on the new show.
“I’m thrilled that Netflix will be doing an adaptation of my stories, staying true to the source material and the themes that I have spent over 30 years writing,” he says of the new version.
From a release date to plot information, set photos and the chance of future seasons of the show, here’s everything we know so far about Netflix’s version of The Witcher.
When does The Witcher come out on Netflix?
The show will come out just in time for Christmas – it lands on Netflix on December 20.
Is there a trailer for The Witcher?
Three, in fact. The first teaser for the series was shared at San Diego Comic Con back in July, and introduced the show’s tagline: “The worst monsters are the ones we create.”
An action-packed full trailer, which followed the teaser on Halloween, once again pushed the deeply human elements of the show, introducing its new slogan: “You can’t outrun destiny just because you’re terrified of it.”
And finally, on December 12, a second and final full trailer for the first season of The Witcher was released. Henry Cavill surprised fans with the preview at a fan event in Manila, Philippines while promoting the series with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich.
Can we see any photos from The Witcher set?
Netflix have shared plenty of photos from the set of the film ahead of its release – take a look at Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer below.
Who is in The Witcher cast?
The main three names for the series are as follows:
Henry Cavill as Geralt
Freya Allan as Ciri
Anya Chalotra as Yennefer
In December 2019, Netflix unveiled three featurettes that focus on the main characters. The clips give insight into Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri, direct from the actors that play them and showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. Watch below:
Beyond those three, Knightfall‘s Joey Batey plays Jaskier, Lars Mikkelsen (who played a Putin-type Russian politician in House Of Cards) takes on the role of Stregobor and Ben Wheatley collaborator MyAnna Buring will portray a character called Tissaia.
The Witcher doesn’t possess a super-starry cast beyond Henry Cavill but every actor has proper drama chops from some of TV’s most critically acclaimed recent shows. Don’t be surprised if it’s a hit.
What is the plot for the show?
Netflix’s official synopsis describes The Witcher as “an epic tale of fate and family”.
“The story of the intertwined destinies of three individuals in the vast world of The Continent, where humans, elves, witchers, gnomes, and monsters battle to survive and thrive, and where good and evil is not easily identified,” it continues.
Geralt is described as “a solitary monster hunter” who “struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.
“But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”
Executive producers Sean Daniel and Jason Brown have stated that the show will follow “an unconventional family that comes together to fight for truth in a dangerous world.”
The pair went on to describe the characters as “original, funny and constantly surprising”.
How many seasons will The Witcher have?
At least two. Ahead of the release of season 1, a second outing has already been confirmed, with showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich confirming the news.
I’m so thrilled to announce: Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri will be back for more adventures… in Season Two.
I could not be more proud of what the amazing cast and crew of The Witcher have accomplished, and can’t wait for the world to dig in and enjoy these stories with us. ❤️⚔️? pic.twitter.com/evWoHvUl1e
— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) November 13, 2019
There could be plenty more after that, too, if Hissrich is to be believed. Speaking to SFX Magazine, Hissrich opened up on significant future plans for the show.
“Second season?” she said, asked about a follow-up prior to its announcement. “I’ve [got plans] for seven seasons! We don’t have a second season yet – God willing we will – but right now it’s just about, ‘How do you set up stories that really capture audiences for years at a time?’ The worst thing we could do is put all of our energies just into season one, and not be thinking about where these characters can grow to.”
Hissrich has extended these ambitions even further, stating on Twitter that there could be “20 years” worth of Witcher TV material.
It was reported yesterday that I had seven seasons mapped out. I said in another panel that the show could run for 20 years, there’s so much material. Keep the faith!
— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) November 3, 2019
The new version of The Witcher could swap out fantasy for horror
Though it’s originally a fantasy story, the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher “leans more towards horror” according to visual effects supervisor Julian Parry.
Speaking to SFX, he said: “We’re definitely taking the fantasy out. I can honestly say we’re not fantastical. I mean, it’s fantastical but in a grounded horror sense. For example, with Striga [a woman cursed to live as a monster], that’s one gnarly-looking thing. That’s very unpleasant!”