Netflix’s The Witcher Showrunner Reveals the Biggest Challenge in Adapting the Series

Netflix’s The Witcher series is set to be a new adaptation of the books by author Andrzej Sapkowski, rather than the video games from CD Projekt Red, and those books have a lot of weight attached to them. There’s a whole history there to adapt, and fans are watching every move showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich and the cast make to see whether the new series is up to the task. It’s a big challenge, but meeting and exceeding fan expectations isn’t the only one.

Speaking at a roundtable interview attended by ComicBook.com at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Hissrich revealed the biggest challenge of adapting the series, however, is actually the fact that there’s just so much there.

“The biggest challenge is that there are so many words in those books,” Hissrich said. “I mean, obviously it’s a book series, and we can only hope that the show gets to run as long as it possibly can, and we get to tell all the stories, but we have to really look at things season by season.”

“For me, it was about poring through the books and determining our approach from the beginning,” she continued. “What stories did we feel would build the world the best way, what were really the foundations of the characters that we wanted to put out there, how would we let audiences in the door and make sure they understood everything? Really it was about combing through everything and trying to decide on our tactic.”

What do you think of what Hissrich had to say at SDCC 2019? Are you excited to see how the world of The Witcher is adapted into a television series? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Here’s how Netflix describes the upcoming series on its press site:

“Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”

Netflix’s The Witcher is scheduled to release its eight-episode first season on the streaming service at some point this year. Lauren S. Hissrich serves as showrunner. It stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and Freya Allan as Ciri. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the upcoming adaptation right here.