He’s conquered the Northern Kingdoms and slaughtered just about every beast and foul creature under the sun, but it seems Geralt of Rivia is now headed for television.
Netflix and showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich have officially committed to a full-fledged TV adaptation of The Witcher, with Henry Cavill, star of Mission: Impossible and Justice League, on board to play the glowering Geralt. There’s been nary a mention of an official launch date for Netflix’s latest original series, though over on Twitter, Hissrich posted a brief status report, revealing that a rough cut of The Witcher now exists, and it’s seemingly very, very faithful to the adult content that the series is known for – both across literature and video games.
Via Twitter:
Just watched a cut of #Witcher with Ben, and the verdict is in: this show is not for 5-year-olds. Like, really not.
That’s reassuring, then, though not at all surprising given the involvement of Andrzej Sapkowski, the Polish mastermind behind the original Witcher novel series. Developer CD Projekt Red later introduced Sapkowski’s work into the world of video games, and have since placed the iconic franchise on ice to focus on the long-gestating sci-fi title, Cyberpunk 2077.
That opens up a window of opportunity for Netflix and Co., and it seems the Powers That Be are ready to strike while the iron is hot, with Cavill training intensively for what is undoubtedly a meaty, nuanced role. Netflix has already peeled back the curtain to reveal our first look at Cavill’s Geralt, though it’s fair to say that many were left unimpressed by his silvery wig and pure, beardless face. And after mustache-gate threatened to engulf Justice League?! Oh, the humanity.
The Witcher TV series is yet to nail down an official release window, but we’ll let you know if and when that situation changes.