The first season of Netflix's long-awaited adaptation of The Witcher books remains remarkably
faithful to the spirit of the novels.
In fact, it's packed with small details that only those well-versed in the ways of the
Continent will notice.
The Witcher isn't the first live-action adaptation of the beloved novels.
In 2002, actor Michal Zebrowski played Geralt in the Polish TV series The Hexer, which was
also edited into a critically panned feature film.
Like Netflix's The Witcher, The Hexer adapted stories from the first two Witcher books,
The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, while mixing in some original elements.
Zebrowski doesn't cameo in The Witcher, but that hasn't stopped him from playing Geralt
again…sort of.
While it's still Henry Cavill's handsome mug that they'll see on-screen, Polish fans should
find Geralt's voice very familiar.
Zebrowski is providing Geralt's dialogue in The Witcher's Polish-language dub, reprising
the role he played almost 20 years ago.
It's not a detail that most English-speaking viewers will notice, but it's a nice treat
for the Polish fans in the audience.
The Witcher isn't the only Geralt-adjacent project Zebrowski has in the pipeline, either.
The actor will also dub Keanu Reeves' character in the upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077,
which is made by CD Projekt Red, the company behind the Witcher video games.
The symbols that appear at the beginning of every episode of The Witcher are full of spoilers,
but you're only going to notice if you really know your stuff.
The title of each episode is always the same, but the logo behind it changes, offering hints
as to what's about to unfold.
For example, the first episode, "The End's Beginning," features the image of a solar
eclipse.
If you've read the short story "Lesser Evil," you know that the princess Renfri was born
under a so-called "black sun," leading a wizard to assume that she was cursed.
Sure enough, "The End's Beginning" tells Renfri's story all the way to its brutal, bloody ending.
"Betrayer Moon" comes with a picture of claws and a Temerian lily, hinting at the cursed striga.
The logo for "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials" is a sword surrounded by a tree, which is
appropriate for an episode detailing the violent history of Ciri's family tree and her time
in the forest.
In The Witcher, characters don't just speak English.
Magically-inclined characters also use elvish, or the Elder Speech, to cast spells, lift
curses, and cause mayhem and mischief.
If you listen carefully, however, you might recognize some parts of the Elder Speech vocabulary.
Author Andrezej Sapkowski based the Elder Speech on a mishmash of different languages,
including Irish, Welsh, English, German, and Latin.
She's a girl...
who possesses the power of a weapon.
In Brokilon, she can be molded.
But with so many different sources, how does The Witcher's take on Elder Speech sound so good?
Easy: the language was designed by a pro.
Sapkowski didn't actually create a fully-realized language, so Netflix had to bring in David
J. Peterson to fill in the blanks.
Does that name sound familiar?
It should.
Peterson is the same guy HBO hired to create Dothraki and Valyrian for Game of Thrones.
Netflix has made it clear that The Witcher is based on the books, not the video games,
but the show does have one major gaming connection.
You just have to watch the end credits to find it.
For most viewers, the names Tomek Baginski and Platige Image one of The Witcher's executive
producers and the Polish production company that makes the show, respectively won't mean much.
Those who really love the games, however, know that Baginski, an Oscar-nominated animator,
directed the stunning cinematics that brought all three of CD Projekt Red's Witcher titles
to life.
In fact, without Platige and Baginski, The Witcher probably wouldn't have made it to
the screen at all.
Baginski, who's also on Platige's supervisory board, was the one who pitched The Witcher
to Netflix.
Originally, Baginski wanted to make a feature film based on two of Sapkowski's short stories.
Netflix helped convince him to make a TV series instead, and brought showrunner Lauren Schmidt
Hissrich on board.
The rest is history.
The most famous image of Geralt of Rivia isn't the monster-slayer on horseback, riding into
the wilderness to fight some nasty beast.
It's not Geralt locked in a life-or-death battle with a ferocious creature.
Instead, it's the witcher soaking in a wooden bathtub, legs spread, leaving only a little
to the imagination.
It's a moment from the opening scene of CD Projekt Red's critically acclaimed video game
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, although by now it's become much bigger.
Cosplayers started recreating the iconic moment in photographs.
CD Projekt Red and Dark Horse created a statuette commemorating the scene.
While Netflix's show is based on the books, not the games, it pays tribute to the scene
in episode five, "Bottled Appetites."
Shortly after he meets Yennefer, the sorceress lures Geralt into the bath, and you can guess
what happens next.
The Witcher's sword fights are so impressive that it'd be easy to assume that talented
stunt doubles handled all of the heavy lifting.
Not true.
The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich told us in an interview that star Henry Cavill
did his own stunts on the show.
Every single one of them.
According to Hissrich:
"There is never a point where you see someone on screen as Geralt that's not him.
It's always Henry."
In fact, that proclamation extends beyond the fight scenes.
Cavill didn't use stand-ins, even when most of his face and body is concealed.
If you see Geralt's hand, his boot, or his elbow, it's Cavill on-screen.
Cavill was so dedicated to the role that he wore his costume, including his complete set
of armor, while making breakfast or taking a nap.
Most extras carried fake swords, but Cavill's wasn't just real.
He helped design the weapon, customizing it as he saw fit.
For all intents and purposes, Cavill is Geralt and his performance is all the better for it.
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