The impending premiere of The Witcher’s 3rd season is overshadowing every other fantasy property on the market.
Netflix’s attempt to bring Geralt of Rivia to the small screen will never be enough to fully shove immortal favorites like The Lord of the Rings out of conversations, but it’s sure stirring up plenty of discourse at the moment. Between its recasting of Henry Cavill — who will return as Geralt for the last time in season 3 — and its EP’s apparent ignorance regarding the backlash, there’s simply too much The Witcher drama to pass up. And that’s not even considering the truly massive shoes Liam Hemsworth will be forced to fill when he takes up the role.
We fantasy fans certainly want more of these blockbuster fantasy endeavors, but only if they’re handled with the respect they deserve. Outside of the Cavill recasting — a massively unpopular move — The Witcher’s team has made mistake after mistake, and audiences are getting sick of it. They’re also seeing plenty more of the same in their futures, as they consider the shockingly low price shelled out for the rights to The lord of the Rings and brace themselves for what could be a spate of exploitative releases.
Somehow, buying the rights to Lord of the Rings wasn’t even as pricey as Rings of Power’s 1st season
The Lord of the Rings, as a property, is one of the most sought-after offerings on the market. It helped redefine the fantasy genre, after all, and each and every one of its creations — in the modern age, at least — have netted impressive returns. There’s a persistent idea out there that you can’t misstep with LOTR, but Prime’s Rings of Power might prove that idea wrong. While I, personally, still think the show has potential, a huge number of viewers vehemently dislike the fresh Middle-earth series, which is only compounded by the massive price tag attached to it.
Somehow, the actual rights to The Lord of the Rings — which Prime Studios did not manage to attain, thus its decision to tackle a much earlier time period — cost less than the 1st season of Rings of Power. Everyone knows it’s the most expensive season of television in history, but news that the LOTR rights cost less than the season is raising eyebrows. Just how did Prime manage to spend so much money, while Embracer cinched the bulk of rights for significantly less?
The Witcher’s executive producers refuse to acknowledge the backlash to Henry Cavill’s recasting
The decision to recast Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia — following Cavill’s decision to leave Netflix’s The Witcher adaptation — was always unpopular, but the show’s executive producers seem blissfully unaware of this fact. Steve Gaub and Tomek Baginski seem incredibly confident that the switch between Cavill and Liam Hemsworth will go off without a hitch, even as mass fan campaigns and ceaseless complaints weigh the show down.
And that’s not even considering the stunt requirements
Then there are the differences between Cavill and Hemsworth to consider. While both men seem entirely capable of taking on a role like Geralt — and even smashing their portrayal out of the park — does Hemsworth have the know-how to fill Cavill’s shoes? The question was already pressing, but it became all the more vital following reports that Cavill performs all of his own stunts for the series. Considering how impressive (and physically demanding) some of those fight scenes get, there’s no way that’s an easy feat, and there’s plenty of reason to believe Hemsworth won’t be able to deliver the same level of stunts.
Enjoy the How to Train Your Dragon series, in order
For a nice little break from the dramatic worlds of some of fantasy’s biggest warring properties, why not take a trip back through the How to Train Your Dragon franchise? Outside of the main body of films, several television series and shorts beef up the selection of content, giving fans plenty of HTTYD to enjoy as they await the film’s official live-action adaptation.