As more and more novels become viral sensations on TikTok, studios such as Amazon and Netflix continue to reap the benefits of a built-in audience. Amazon did this most recently with the insanely popular limited series adaptation of Daisy Jones & The Six and is doing it once again with Casey McQuiston’s 2019 young adult LGBTQ+ rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue.
With over three-quarters of a million people having read and rated the book on Goodreads — it even won the title of Best Romance and Best Debut Novel — there’s no question that Amazon is facing an uphill battle in terms of meeting the expectations of this enormous fanbase. And yet, if you ask them, the fans, they would say the film has already succeeded, at least if we’re going off the trailer.
And then you have The Witcher, another insanely popular intellectual property whose reach has expanded all the way to video games, novels, and now a live-action adaptation on Netflix. Just this summer, the show premiered the first volume of its third season, and unlike the discourse surrounding Red, White & Royal Blue, it has already been accused of mistreating its source material. Again. (An issue many have even suggested as the reason for Henry Cavill’s premature departure from the show).
But hold on, these are two completely different stories
That’s right — one is a gay romantic comedy and the other is a high fantasy epic packed with battle scenes and magic (and also a little bit of gay, let’s not forget). That is correct, but hear me out…
As a massive fan of both of these properties and someone who devoured both sets of novels, I can tell you right now it’s not a matter of genre. In fact, at the heart of both stories is one singular romance and a conversation about the lengths to which we go in order to protect our family.
At the root of any movie or television adaptation should be a respect for the source material and a reverence for the fans who yearn to see their favorite characters treated properly and their favorite scenes played out on the big (or small) screen.
Red, White & Royal Blue is already proving itself the superior adaptation in terms of respecting its source material. Several fans online have begun analyzing scenes from the trailer and comparing them to their respective page in the book. The results are stunningly accurate.
The Witcher, on the other hand, has embarked on a never-ending pursuit to anger its fans. When it’s not killing off fan-favorite characters like Eskel and introducing completely new plots such as Yennefer’s capture from Nilfgaard and the loss of her magic in season two, it’s centering an entire season around a character who isn’t even featured in the books. Ahem, Voleth Meir, or the Deathless Mother.
Indeed, Netflix (or better yet, the creators of The Witcher) would be wise to follow Amazon’s lead going forward. That is if it’s not too late. Thanks to Red, White & Royal Blue and Daisy Jones & The Six, it is creating a track record for taking some of the most popular novels and turning them into full-bodied adaptations. Let’s just hope that doesn’t spell bad news for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.