'The Witcher' Series: EP Douses Fan Trepidation About Episode Count, Teases Possible Number of Seasons and Other Exciting Info
Executive producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is back at it again with exciting updates for the highly-anticipated "The Witcher" series.
Hissrich recently revealed in a string of tweets that the live-action adaptation of Geralt of Rivia's adventures for Netflix will have eight episodes, each an hour-long, "give or take."
She anticipated strong reactions from fans for this as they feel like eight chapters might not be enough to cover the sprawling "The Witcher" epic, and so, she immediately provided an explanation behind the decision.
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Hissrich recognizes that eight episodes for a series based on something as big as "The Witcher" do not seem to be enough, but she believes that it is "the right call" from a creative standpoint.
"The episodes can be tight, action-packed, rich in character and story, without lagging in the middle of the season. Sounds good to me, sound good to you?" Hissrich wrote.
"The Witcher" live-action adaptation will be based on the fantasy series of short stories and novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. One fan claims that a producer of the show said at a Netflix event in Rome that the first season will cover the first two books "The Last Wish" and "Sword of Destiny," but Hissrich said, "I haven't confirmed that yet, that's for sure."
It makes sense for the series to start with these books of course, and the fact that the they will be told over eight episodes means that the pacing will likely be consistent and there will be no dull moments, as Hissrich mentioned above.
The EP also noted in response to another fan that it will take more than three seasons with eight episodes each to accommodate the whole "The Witcher" saga.
When a fan responded to her explanation on the episode number, saying that eight episodes seem to be more of a management call than a creative one, she replied, "I can actually say this decision has nothing to do with risk."
"Creative, yes. Scheduling, yes. Budget, to an extent, because we can focus more on the production of each episode. But not risk. Netflix is, by definition, not ruled by fear — but by adventure and exploration," she continued.
If there is one thing fans should not worry about the series, IGN says it will be the budget. The publication believes that they can count on Netflix providing enough to successfully build the huge world of "The Witcher" as accurately as possible.
That being said, computer-generated imagery (CGI) on "The Witcher," which will be sorely needed to recreate Geralt's monster-populated realm, should be above average at the least.
Hissrich said that production of "The Witcher" series will be in Eastern Europe because she believes it will be the best setting for the story. As to when fans will actually be able to binge-watch the whole thing, she estimates a 2020 release date, although she noted there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.
For starters, the scripts have not even been written yet except for the pilot, which she imagines will need further polishing when casting and the shooting begin. The same goes for the rest of the scripts.
"The other seven episodes don't yet exist, except in my head. And guess what? New writers are joining me soon, too," Hissrich wrote. She did note that they are "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," "The Witcher" EP tweeted.
