Adapting any beloved franchise usually requires a ton of love for it, yet it turns out there were more than a few non-fans in The Witcher’s writers room when Geralt of Rivia made the jump to Netflix, at least according to one of its main writers.
Although Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher didn’t really gain worldwide recognition until CD Projekt Red’s games started to become popular, the latter were never meant to be a like-for-like recreation of the novels, even if there are still tons of references to them in the vast world of The Witcher 3. Netflix’s series has set out to do something similar, following the book’s story, but changing certain themes, moments, plot lines and the overall personality of some characters to suit its needs.
Those changes do require "You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy," as writer Beau DeMayo commented during a recent Instagram Q&A session (via Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette), something he found lacking in The Witcher since “some of the writers were not [fans] or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material.) It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale.” Perhaps it’s no surprise then that DeMayo wanted those kinds of vibes nowhere near his X-Men '97 project for Marvel, where he only brought certified lovers of the original animated series on board.
While Netflix’s The Witcher has gone on to become one of the streamer's most successful original shows, many fans of the games and novels have learned to embrace it as something slightly different, with the series occasionally receiving some backlash due to its interpretations of the source material. DeMayo, for example, was the lead writer for the animated prequel Nightmare of the Wolf which follows a young Vesemir’s path to becoming a Witcher as well as the fall of Kaer Morhen, both original stories absent in Sapkowski’s writing.
It’s hard to content DeMayo’s opinion on the matter, and contrary to some other writers, he does see passionate fandoms as a true test for these kinds of adaptations. Some authors like George R.R. Martin have derided the role loud and toxic fandoms can have, although in his case, his approach towards Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon has been much more hands-on, as opposed to Sapkowski who has not been involved at all in the Netflix series, even if he’s expressed his satisfaction over the job done by Lauren S. Hissrich and Henry Cavill.
One thing is for sure, and that is fans of the 90s’ X-Men animated series should be in for a treat with DeMayo on board if the man sticks to his own words, though that doesn't account for any plans Marvel might have for the X-Men’s MCU future.
Source: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette
