The Witcher Netflix is going to focus on Ciri and Yennefer
At a recent Witcher Netflix panel, showrunner Lauren S Hissrich announced that the highly-anticipated show is set to focus on Ciri and Yennefer more so than Geralt of Rivia, the gruff and lovable protagonist of the critically-acclaimed video game series.
The report comes from Witcher Netflix site Redanian Intelligence, who were on the ground at a recent MCM London Comic Con panel, where Hissrich was joined by Ciri actress Freya Allan. According to RI, Hissrich had the following to say:
“They’re 8 books, I’ve read all of them. I knew I wanted to start with the short stories. They explain what the witchers are. But I wanted to introduce Ciri and Yennefer earlier. You get to meet Ciri [and really know her] before she interacts with other characters.”
When subsequent concerns were raised in relation to how major a part Henry Cavill's Geralt would play, Hissrich clarified that he would get his fair share of screen time, but that it's essential Ciri and Yennefer play major roles too. "We need to understand them all individually, so we can understand them together," she said.
Naturally, lots of people on Twitter are having an extremely normal one about this revelation, saying very clever things like "you wouldn't make a Superman movie about Lois Lane," and misspelling the word "feminism" in more ways than you'd think possible. One particular user said, "I'll stick to the books, thanks," clearly not quite understanding that, in fact, Ciri becomes the series' main character after the first two short story collections, and Yen plays a far more prominent role than she does in the games.
Hissrich also clarified for the umpteenth time that the show is completely based on said books, which explains why this decision that seems to have offended so many people actually adheres to Witcher creator Andrzej Sapkowski's legacy. To add a bit more flavor: according to Hissrich, Sapkowski was crying on set. Happy tears, though. Not like the word tears being shed on Twitter by anime avis.
For those who haven't heard yet, The Witcher is coming to Netflix on December 20 and a rake of new screens were recently released. Also, rest easy: there will be a bathtub scene.