MOVIE NEWS – Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of The Witcher books, was impressed by the Netflix series’ set. But his ideas about the production were not welcomed.

 

 

The Witcher is just one of many movies and TV series adapted from books and comics. Authors usually lose control over the script and production, and Andrzej Sapkowski is no exception.

The Netflix series The Witcher, adapted by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, is based on the book series of the same name by Polish author Sapkowski. The fantasy drama series is one of the most popular series on the streaming platform. Four seasons have been produced so far, and the fourth is expected to premiere in 2025.

Sapkowski was recently asked about his involvement in the Netflix production, and he hinted that he had zero say because the producers didn’t listen to his suggestions.

Sapkowski attended the Vienna Comic Con and was asked about his writing career by members of the Cerealkillerz. The conversation eventually led to the presenter asking about his visit to the set of the series. Also, whether he gave feedback and liked what he saw. The talented writer did not hide how shocked he was on the set. He described it as “huge” and “with a wow factor”. He was visibly impressed by what he saw on set. However, the streaming giant didn’t need any further input from him. He allegedly did not listen to her recommendations.

The Witcher author told Cerealkillerz that he gave them some ideas. However, Netflix didn’t listen. The author was not offended at all. He just laughed at her. Sapkowski admitted that he had no influence on how the streaming giant made the series. In fact, he said his reaction was “normal” and jokingly added that he’s just the writer and a nobody.

It’s unclear from the interview what Sapkowski told Netflix because he didn’t go into detail. His proposals were likely about costumes, production design, the script, or another aspect of the production. Sapkowski’s talent as a writer cannot be questioned. After all, he has already written six volumes in The Witcher series, and another book is coming next winter. More likely, your concern is about the script, which may have deviated from the source. This is not surprising, however, as turning a book into a TV series requires a different set of skills.

This usually results in minor plot and character deviations that won’t go unnoticed by those who have read the book before watching the TV series or movie.

In the same interview, Sapkowski also said that he is not picky about the series’ different adaptations and the characters’ illustrations. He noted that he does not envision the complete picture of the story and characters while writing. It only focuses on letters and words, as that’s all readers see in the book. So, he leaves the imaginary part and the image of the story to the readers. Since Sapkowski doesn’t have a concrete image of The Witcher’s character designs, he finds any visual adaptation strange. He approves of some, saying they are beautiful, others not. Thus, the characters’ costumes or production designs are unlikely to concern him.

Source: YouTube