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Flipyap

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,489
This show terrifies me. After reading these books and playing these games for over a decade, I feel I'm only going to be dissatisfied. The games did such a great job of giving visual life to the books (just as the Harry Potter movies did for the books). I'm sure Netflix will want to keep character designs and monsters remotely close to what CDPR did with the games as to bring in fans of the games (and for them to spread the show by word of mouth) but I'm also worried that Sapkowski will want them to go in a different art and character direction just because he is a spiteful old man.
Sapkowski doesn't have anything to do with this show, but Netflix hasn't licensed the games, so I don't think it would be wise for them to copy anything CD Projekt Red has done anyway.

You should check out what geralt looked like in the Witcher 2 before the enhanced edition.

Before:
VJbv7R8.jpg
I'm not sure what you mean by this, but that pre-release Geralt is hunky as fuck. I swear, he's a shave and a bath away from passing for a Final Fantasy protagonist.

J8YM9N5.gif
LLlsN8n.gif


He also doesn't look very Slavic (not that he has any reason to). If you want a Slavic Geralt, I'd recommend the Alpha version.
wcKkpCM.png

Though that might just be Terry O'Quinn O'Rivia.
 

SilentMike03

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,095
Sapkowski doesn't have anything to do with this show, but Netflix hasn't licensed the games, so I don't think it would be wise for them to copy anything CD Projekt Red has done anyway.
I don't know how licensing works and this idea is weird in my head. Would they need to license anything from CDPR? The games aren't the original work, the books are. I guess if they use any original characters from the games they would and if they just copy+pasted some story lines.
 

Quiksaver

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,022
But everyone knows who should play Emhyr var Emreis, Deithwen Addan yn Carn aep Morvudd:
1200px-Tommy-Wiseau-3.jpg
 

misho8723

Member
Jan 7, 2018
3,724
Slovakia
Oh, I definitely want them to go with the show to another direction than the games.. in the games many characters, locations or monsters look very differently and in the case of characters not only they look differently, but they act differently too.. not to mention how the games fucked up some of the book characters - mainly TW3 (Dandelion, Triss, Eredin and overall everything to do with the Wild Hunt and the White Frost, Dijkstra, etc.).. if they are going to copy the look of the characters, monsters or locations from the games, then to me it only shows how lazy, unimaginative and unoriginal the people behind the show are.. I have seen drawings from the Polish, Czech, Russian and Spanish versions of the books and they are very different from each other and that's the beauty of it - I want to see a different view of the characters, monsters and locations in the TV show, but staying true to the descpritions of them from the books
 

Tovarisc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,471
FIN
Oh, I definitely want them to go with the show to another direction than the games.. in the games many characters, locations or monsters look very differently and in the case of characters not only they look differently, but they act differently too.. not to mention how the games fucked up some of the book characters - mainly TW3 (Dandelion, Triss, Eredin and overall everything to do with the Wild Hunt and the White Frost, Dijkstra, etc.).. if they are going to copy the look of the characters, monsters or locations from the games, then to me it only shows how lazy, unimaginative and unoriginal the people behind the show are.. I have seen drawings from the Polish, Czech, Russian and Spanish versions of the books and they are very different from each other and that's the beauty of it - I want to see a different view of the characters, monsters and locations in the TV show, but staying true to the descpritions of them from the books

So every translation is basically its own unique interpretation of original work and you want them to stay true to the book(s)... so... which language set of books is acceptable to you?

Also you saying that every interpretation / translation resulting in unique work is beauty of the series while also saying that interpretations done by CDPR (for non-canon storyline) is somehow bad / wrong sounds weird and illogical. Which is it? Good or bad that interpretation of text result in different kinds of works of art?

That said I'm curious to see how they cast series. In a way CDPR has put faces to characters of the world which can influence casting choices.
 

misho8723

Member
Jan 7, 2018
3,724
Slovakia
So every translation is basically its own unique interpretation of original work and you want them to stay true to the book(s)... so... which language set of books is acceptable to you?

Also you saying that every interpretation / translation resulting in unique work is beauty of the series while also saying that interpretations done by CDPR (for non-canon storyline) is somehow bad / wrong sounds weird and illogical. Which is it? Good or bad that interpretation of text result in different kinds of works of art?

That said I'm curious to see how they cast series. In a way CDPR has put faces to characters of the world which can influence casting choices.

Staying true to the source but giving it an own twist on some things can be done, just like the drawings in the various language version of the books are.. I mean, you don't have for many characters in the books all the details how they look, how their clothes look and so on, so you can always do your own thing in this regard.. or in the atmosphere and tone of the whole TV show..

My problem with CD Projekt's version of some the book characters is that they changed their character for no reasonable reason or they missed what made them so special in the books - for example, how they butchered the relantionship between Dandelion and Geralt.. or how out of character Dijkstra acts in his last moments in the game.. or how one-dimensional Eredin is in TW3, when in the books he has fascinating dialogs with Ciri..
I mean, I can tell that I have my own versions of the book characters (and other things), very different from the other ones we have seen to this day (but in many cases my versions are more close to the drawings you can find in the Czech versions of the books).. when you read the books, you make your own version of the things you are reading in your head, or atleast that's what I hope is also happening in other readers mind too :)
 

Tovarisc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,471
FIN
My problem with CD Projekt's version of some the book characters is that they changed their character for no reasonable reason or they missed what made them so special in the books - for example, how they butchered the relantionship between Dandelion and Geralt.. or how out of character Dijkstra acts in his last moments in the game.. or how one-dimensional Eredin is in TW3, when in the books he has fascinating dialogs with Ciri..

Just to put it out there, CDPR has publicly said that they aren't happy about how storyline with Dijkstra ended and was handled. Something what they would redo if they could. I want to say it came up in NoClips documentary, but not 100% sure about it.

Use of.. or lack of Eredin is one of weak points of TW3, for sure.
 

Flipyap

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,489
He described his involvement a little differently in this interview: https://jpn.up.pt/2017/12/18/andrzej-sapkowski-oeste-adaptacao-original-nunca-irao-encontrar/
Google Translate said:
Are you involved in this project in any way?

Sapkowski: In all adaptations, be it the first or the last, I am never involved in its development. From my point of view, the book is the book and adaptation is adaptation. As Kipling said about East and West: "This is East and West is West, and the two will never meet." The adaptation and the original will never be found. Never. Adapters must be fitted. That's all I have to say about this because, as you may know, Netflix has signed a contract with me where it is explicitly listed that any production information I disclose will result in a severe financial penalty. Which is good for me, because I do not know shit. So I can not say anything.

So you're not involved in this production at all?

Sapkowski: Absolutely. And it will always be so. Netflix has forgotten to include my personal opinion on the contract and my personal opinion is that I do not know, and will never want to know, anything about the production.
 

Tovarisc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,471
FIN

He seems to give very few fucks about how his franchise is treated and continued. I hope he at least made better deal this time and gets some serious dollar from NetFlix. CDPR really got away easy by paying him just relatively small set sum and have license to make Witcher games until end of times, Andrzej got fucked out of some real cash.
 

Deleted member 3058

User requested account closure
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,728
Even with the mod he still looks like the "movie" version.

You should check out what geralt looked like in the Witcher 2 before the enhanced edition.

Before:
VJbv7R8.jpg


After:

34PnZGU.jpg


He looks more eldritch but less specifically Slavic.
That was a pre-release version of Geralt from TW2. It looked horrible then and it looks horrible now.

See this review for how Geralt looked at launch in TW2: http://www.pcgamer.com/the-witcher-2-review/
 

Edgar

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
7,180
So like , Netflix is making Witcher series out of nowhere . It had to be because of how popular W3 got right? I wonder if Sapkowski would admit that. (Probably not)
 

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
He seems to give very few fucks about how his franchise is treated and continued. I hope he at least made better deal this time and gets some serious dollar from NetFlix. CDPR really got away easy by paying him just relatively small set sum and have license to make Witcher games until end of times, Andrzej got fucked out of some real cash.
From what I know, Sapkowski didn't think too much about videogames as a medium. He wanted payment upfront rather than royalties. CDP even offered him a royalties agreement, and he declined. It's all on him. All his saltiness is because he didn't think videogaming are huge.
 

SPRidley

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,248
They aged child roles up for Game of Thrones, who's to say they wouldn't do the same thing for The Witcher?
For the first part of the books Ciri wouldnt make sense if she is not a kid.
The latest part of the books... well that depends.
This show terrifies me. After reading these books and playing these games for over a decade, I feel I'm only going to be dissatisfied. The games did such a great job of giving visual life to the books (just as the Harry Potter movies did for the books). I'm sure Netflix will want to keep character designs and monsters remotely close to what CDPR did with the games as to bring in fans of the games (and for them to spread the show by word of mouth) but I'm also worried that Sapkowski will want them to go in a different art and character direction just because he is a spiteful old man.

This is what scares me also but
1. Sapkowski hasent even got near the games becuase he hates videogames in general, so he doesnt know how similar to his visions the characters are.
2. The spanish books boxart that came before the games and are designed based in the descriptions by Sapkowski look really similar to the games counterparts (as similar as a design can look using the same description but made by two different artists that didnt known about the previous art):

sHkZZ5K.png


Tower of swallows cover Regis is probably the character that most differs, becuase of the beard.

Even with the mod he still looks like the "movie" version.

You should check out what geralt looked like in the Witcher 2 before the enhanced edition.

Before:
VJbv7R8.jpg


After:

34PnZGU.jpg


He looks more eldritch but less specifically Slavic.

The first pic was only a WIP, he never looked like that in the final vanilla game, and the enhanced edition didnt change his vanilla model.
 

misho8723

Member
Jan 7, 2018
3,724
Slovakia
2. The spanish books boxart that came before the games and are designed based in the descriptions by Sapkowski look really similar to the games counterparts (as similar as a design can look using the same description but made by two different artists that didnt known about the previous art):

sHkZZ5K.png


Tower of swallows cover Regis is probably the character that most differs, becuase of the beard.

Well I mean, all those characters look differently than in the games.. Geralt on the Spanish cover looks badass, way better than in TW3 and more true to the books.. by Yennefer I must say that the game version is closer to how I always imagined her reading the books.. the same with Dandelion - on the cover he's not looking to be the womanizer from the books.. he should be looking better than Geralt, not worse + in the books he looks to be around 30.. other are really good, I particularly like how Regis looks.. maybe Cahir should look more handsome

I personally really like this version of Regis:
http:///8pEc.jpg

And this ones for Cahir:
http:///9pEc.jpg
http:///ApEc.jpg
 

KonradLaw

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,960
wSOktkpTURBXy8wYTEwZDAzNThlNmE3OThmYjZjMDAxYzlkZTRmYzljNC5qcGeSlQMCRM0Fas0DC5MFzQMyzQHM

My dream casting would be Marcin Dorocinski as Geralt. He fits the description in the books, plays both in polish and international movies and it's bassicaly the best actor Poland currently has.

But seeing Pole being cast in that role is likely too much to ask. For more western choices I wouldn't like Mads. Yes, he looks the part, but he has extremely thick accent in english. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau fits Geralt, but it would likely be mistake to choose Game of Thrones actor. To close for fantasy series that wants to stand on it's own.
I would like to see Netflix just go around and find somebody lesser known who fits. For example Anson Mount would work pretty well, both visuall as well as acting (judging by Hells on Wheels)
tumblr_inline_mz94ehDo9A1rg1p7e.gif
 

Truant

Member
Oct 28, 2017
6,762
The early cheeky breeky version of Geralt is very interesting, it fits with the slavic theme and setting.
 

Forsaken82

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,928
For the first part of the books Ciri wouldnt make sense if she is not a kid.
The latest part of the books... well that depends.

There are a lot of things in adaptions that don't make sense in the context of the source... this is why they are called adaptions. You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you are expecting a perfect ripped from the pages representation of The Witcher. If they age up characters, the story will be adapted to fit the change. It's irrelevant if it doesn't make sense based on the books because the plot and characters will be tailored to fit the needs of the show. If Ciri has to be aged up to 20 or older, she will be and it could be for any number of reasons (like not being able to find a capable actress in her early teens that can handle the content of her story arc and/or said capable young actress' parents allow their child to be subject to the key moments required by their child)

Now I am not saying this is what is going to happen, my point is merely you can't expect a perfect adaption. Keep in mind, the core demographic that will watch this show, knows NOTHING about the source allowing the showrunners even more freedom to portray the characters how ever they want. Also, whos to say that the show starts at the earliest point of the books?
 

Fudgepuppy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,270
I was going through my Blu-Rays thinking about actors that could do a great Geralt, at which point I saw Royal Tenenbaums.

I now want Wes Anderson to direct the show with Luke Wilson as Geralt.

Just in general, get Wes Anderson to direct a Princess Bride-esque story.
 

SPRidley

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,248
There are a lot of things in adaptions that don't make sense in the context of the source... this is why they are called adaptions. You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you are expecting a perfect ripped from the pages representation of The Witcher. If they age up characters, the story will be adapted to fit the change. It's irrelevant if it doesn't make sense based on the books because the plot and characters will be tailored to fit the needs of the show. If Ciri has to be aged up to 20 or older, she will be and it could be for any number of reasons (like not being able to find a capable actress in her early teens that can handle the content of her story arc and/or said capable young actress' parents allow their child to be subject to the key moments required by their child)

Now I am not saying this is what is going to happen, my point is merely you can't expect a perfect adaption. Keep in mind, the core demographic that will watch this show, knows NOTHING about the source allowing the showrunners even more freedom to portray the characters how ever they want. Also, whos to say that the show starts at the earliest point of the books?

Man, I really dont understand why you want so much 20 year old ciri or why you want to die in the hill of defending lousy loosely adapatations.
Im not setting myself for dissapointed because im not thinking its going to be 1:1 the books (maybe the short stories are shown, or maybe not, as much as I would love for the first episodes to be that, but I already know to not wait for them to be there, and if they are, amazing, but if not, somewhat comprehensible), but im 100% sure that they will start the Ciri story from when she is a kid because she being young is a very important part for the story to make sense with her evolution and Geralt's, taking that part would make zero sense. If the series writer changes that aspect, then they are fucking up the source material so much that why use it. You start entering the Dragon Ball movie adapatation terriotory right there.
Yes, an adaptation can go the Harry Potter route or the Dragon Ball shitty movie route, were everything is completely invented, but the DB type of adapatation happens MUCH less than the other type.

An adpatation that makes older Ciri in the backend of the series to look like the videogame counterpart doesnt destroy the narrative of the story, I wouldnt mind it, even if changed from the books, the soul is still there. An adapatation that even tries to make the Ciri story from the beggining as an adult woman fucks up with everything, as much as making the witcher take place in a modern setting college with CW cast.
Your excuse about the general audience not knowing the source material so they can do whatever they want to do... even the people that have only played the games know about young Ciri becuase the 3rd game starts with a flashback of her at that age training, so thats already is a big "wtf are they trying to do here" even for the bigger game audience. Not even talking about Polish people that are probably going to be the stricter audience of this series and could reject it completely like the old Geralt polish TV series.
That and they already said it was based in the books story. They are not going to get away with that kind of stuff if they try, and I dont even think Spakowski is going to even let them try in the first place.

About the "like not being able to find a capable actress in her early teens that can handle the content of her story arc and/or said capable young actress' parents allow their child to be subject to the key moments required by their child" what happens with her at the start of the books is not that far from other adventure fantasy epics, and nothing that a child couldn't do. If the script needs a child, it needs a child, even for movies like Leon the Professional, no matter how harsh the subject is (apart from, theres always techniques to not show the harsher things to kid actors during filming).
 

B3N1

Member
Oct 27, 2017
109
I would like to see Netflix just go around and find somebody lesser known who fits. For example Anson Mount would work pretty well, both visuall as well as acting (judging by Hells on Wheels)
tumblr_inline_mz94ehDo9A1rg1p7e.gif

Yeah, I really liked him in Hell on Wheels. Also, Inhumans S02 has seemingly been canceled.
 

Budi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,886
Finland
Turns out we can't audition people for a role so all we really have to go on is looks.
Looks are usually pretty irrelevant and make up is a thing. I don't know anyone who doesn't like Hugh Jackman as Wolverine even though he is way too tall.

Edit: Also based on quick googling seems like some think that Jackman is too pretty too for the role, still made for a great Wolverine.
 
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Witch

Member
Jan 1, 2018
543
the moon

CloudWolf

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,652
They aged child roles up for Game of Thrones, who's to say they wouldn't do the same thing for The Witcher?
Aging Ciri up wouldn't make much sense. Ciri's entire storyline in the first few books is her being raised by Geralt and Yennefer and discovering the way the world works. This works with a 12-year old character, but not with a 28 year old character. You can't age up her character without cutting or severely changing a lot of character development for Ciri. I mean, one of her big early scenes in the book is based around her getting her first period and the Witchers having no clue how to deal with that. Of course, I have no doubt they will age her up significantly if the show ever gets to the last few books.
 

Tovarisc

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,471
FIN
Aging Ciri up wouldn't make much sense. Ciri's entire storyline in the first few books is her being raised by Geralt and Yennefer and discovering the way the world works. This works with a 12-year old character, but not with a 28 year old character. You can't age up her character without cutting or severely changing a lot of character development for Ciri. I mean, one of her big early scenes in the book is based around her getting her first period and the Witchers having no clue how to deal with that. Of course, I have no doubt they will age her up significantly if the show ever gets to the last few books.

That scene... storyline?.. would be so hilariously bad and awkward in live TV show. Hell, I imagine it's awkward as hell in book too.

Books are on my to-do list, but what I have glanced from here and there doesn't young Ciri also end up in some fucked up and twisted shit? Or am I confusing her with young Sansa from GOT books?
 

SPRidley

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,248
That scene... storyline?.. would be so hilariously bad and awkward in live TV show. Hell, I imagine it's awkward as hell in book too.

Books are on my to-do list, but what I have glanced from here and there doesn't young Ciri also end up in some fucked up and twisted shit? Or am I confusing her with young Sansa from GOT books?

So you havent read the books and already think that scene is awkward and not important? Because I can assure you its pretty well done, its only akward for some of the caharacters involved and not the reader and also pretty interesting for Geralt, Ciri and Triss (and the rest of the witchers at Kaer Morhen). Its a good slice of life bit to see the characters more in depth, also one of the parts of Geralt as a father figure.
And no, at the beggining Ciri doesnt really "suffer" anything apart from loss in war of typical fantasy epics. It really isnt anything that a kid couldnt act or be shown on normal tv (and this is netflix here).
 

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,378
It does get quite twisted with Ciri when she's around 15-16. I wouldn't be surprised if they just make her 18 for that to make it a little less extreme
 

Flipyap

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,489
wSOktkpTURBXy8wYTEwZDAzNThlNmE3OThmYjZjMDAxYzlkZTRmYzljNC5qcGeSlQMCRM0Fas0DC5MFzQMyzQHM

My dream casting would be Marcin Dorocinski as Geralt. He fits the description in the books, plays both in polish and international movies and it's bassicaly the best actor Poland currently has.
That's a fine addition to the Bearded White Dude |OT|, but I'm not sure what it has to do with Geralt's descriptions. Without the beard Dorociński alternates between looking like a complete dork and a melting Alan Wake.

That scene... storyline?.. would be so hilariously bad and awkward in live TV show. Hell, I imagine it's awkward as hell in book too.
Of course it would be hilarious and awkward, it's an intentionally awkward scene in a series that isn't afraid to be funny.
Bad, though? Nah. Extraordinary characters dealing with normal human problems with all the awkwardness that entails is the best part of the series. This show is going to be a disaster if it can't spare some time to present its protagonists as (sort of) regular people.
 

CloudWolf

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,652
That scene... storyline?.. would be so hilariously bad and awkward in live TV show. Hell, I imagine it's awkward as hell in book too.

Books are on my to-do list, but what I have glanced from here and there doesn't young Ciri also end up in some fucked up and twisted shit? Or am I confusing her with young Sansa from GOT books?
Awkward or not, that scene is absolutely needed in the TV show, because it's basically the point where the Witchers stopped Ciri's training into a Witcher. Basically Triss comes in, sees what the Witchers have been doing with her (regarding Witcher potions and experiments) and how Ciri is reacting (not well) and berates them for not understanding that a woman's body and chemistry behaves differently than a man's. It's a pretty funny scene and the main reason why, in the end, Ciri is taken away from Kaer Morhen.

As for the fucked up shit, the books never explicitly tell you how old Ciri is through all of this, but in the final three books things that Ciri does/happen to Ciri include: Murdering people for money, murdering people for the hell of it, getting into a lesbian Stockholm Syndrome-esque relationship, watching all her friends die a horrible death, being beaten half to death by a sadistic bounty hunter, getting drugged and raped every night for an undisclosed amount of time by an elf king and getting tortured by a powerful wizard. Also, one of the main antagonists of the books is her actual father who plots to impregnate Ciri, so underage incestual sex is also a fairly important aspect. But by that point I would guess that they have already aged Ciri up quite a bit, since it would be easy to insert a time skip somewhere in the story.

You're definitely not confusing her with young Sansa, who has a pretty easy life in the books actually, since the Ramsay rape was a totally different character.
 
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SPRidley

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,248
It does get quite twisted with Ciri when she's around 15-16. I wouldn't be surprised if they just make her 18 for that to make it a little less extreme

Oh yeah, i was just talking about the first books when she is rescued by geralt and is training and all that.
Wouldnt be surprised the make her older in the parts were she also grows in the books.
 

Dragoon

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
11,231
Sapkowski always sounds like such a petty, bitter douche. Brilliant mind but damn he makes me shake my head with the shit he says sometimes.

Netflix not getting his thoughts is disappointing, because I'm not confident they can nail a big budget series to the level of GoT.. which for me, that should be what they strive for.
 
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