According to the producer of The Witcher, some of the writers of the series hated the books and games of the franchise.

The producer of The Witcher says that some of the writers of the series hated the books and games of the franchise. Is it possible to make a good adaptation?

You’d think that if someone is working on a major film or series adaptation, they would, if not love, at least respect the source work. In the case of Netflix’s The Witcher, however, it seems that wasn’t the case, or at least that some of the creators didn’t hold The Witcher franchise in high regard.

Beau DeMayo, a former producer on the film series, spoke during a Q&A on Instagram about his contribution to the making of X-Men ’97, which is coming to Disney+. He explained that one of the requirements when putting together the team for the animated series was that contributors “had to be” fans of the source material. This was important to him because he had had negative experiences in this area before, and he said that he was thinking of the Vajas. According to DeMayo, some of the writers on the show were not fans of The Witcher or “outright hated the books and the games.”

The producer claims that some writers regularly mocked the source works, which he says is the perfect recipe for “disaster and low morale.” He didn’t say specifically that this made Vajak worse, but he thinks “you have to respect the work before you can contribute to its legacy.”

DeMayo co-produced two episodes of the first season of The Witcher, but also worked as a writer on the first and second seasons. He wouldn’t say who reviewed the source material by name, and that’s hard to unpack because several writing teams rotated through the process.

The prequel series to The Witcher, The Origin of Blood, premieres on 25 December this year, with season three expected in summer 2023.

Source: CBR