Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: CD Projekt Red, netflix, the witcher, The Witcher III

Netflix's Witcher Series Will Probably Premiere in 2020 with Eight Episodes

As usual, Netflix is being sparse on the details of their Witcher series, however, we do have some new details about the episodes, how far along the show is in development, and when exactly we should expect it to premiere. After an event in Rome, writer Lauren Hissrich shared some more information on the show on her Twitter feed.

The first bit of info Hissrich shared had to do with the number of episodes to expect. Unlike Castlevania, Netflix's other major game adaptation, The Witcher will give us eight episodes for the first season, ostensibly because this is the best length for the direction the show will be taking. She promises the episodes will be action-packed, rich in character and story, and not going to lag in the middle of the season. While this sounds great, every show has a midseason slump of some sort, even Game of Thrones, which The Witcher seems to be modeled after. At least based on what Hissrich has told us so far.

She goes on to hint that the series could launch in 202, though that seems far from definite. "2020. Who knows?! We're moving quickly ahead with everything — like, my head is spinning around Exorcist-style, except with enthusiasm, not evil possession — but one thing is certain: quality comes before speed. You'll get it as soon as humanly possible, and it'll be good." Again, sounds good, but she then went on to say that the script needs to be polished and isn't fully written. The pilot episode is done, but new writers are joining the staff to help Hissrich, and the team hasn't finished casting or started shooting. So, maybe late 2020 rather than early that year.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the shooting will take place in Eastern Europe. "This show couldn't exist any place else. Period," Hissrich declared.

That said, the TV series will be taking the books as source material, rather than CD Projekt Red's series of games. While we're still getting some of the same story, Geralt of Rivia is a bit different between versions. CD Projekt Red's Geralt is a bit more of a dad than Andrzrej Sapkowski's White Wolf.

Which makes the decision to work with Platige Films, the Polish company that produced the opening cinematic for The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, a little bit confusing. While Platige films did great work, it does serve to confuse audiences a bit on what to expect. After all, the most famous version of The Witcher outside of Poland is the games, not Sapkowski's novels.

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