The Witcher Showrunner Reveals Biggest Shift From the Books

Netflix's The Witcher will be adapting the original novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski, starting with the collection of short stories known as The Last Wish. Fans will definitely recognize some of their favorite characters and adventures from that book, but as showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich explained to SciFi Now, (via Redanian Intelligence) there will be some changes to the story and how prominently certain characters figure into the core narrative, and she broke down what the biggest shift will end up being.

"The biggest shift that I've made from the books is that I wanted Ciri and Yennefer to stand on their own legs a little bit more," Hissrich said. "In the books they're introduced through Geralt's lens, through his POV, and it's was important to me that our audience get to know them individually first, see them be created and their own journeys and then see them intersect and see what happens. So that was one of the biggest shifts that I made but it was, to me, the most exciting opportunity because I also found these characters to be really compelling."

Fans will actually see how all three characters met and what led to it, though this time it won't be just through Geralt's eyes, but also Yennefer and Ciri's. While Triss won't play as large a role in the series as those three, we do hope that the same sort of shift happens for her, whether that be in season 1 or season 2.

You can find the official description for Netflix's The Witcher below.

"Based on the best-selling fantasy series of books, 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," Netflix said. "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."

Henry Cavill (Geralt of Rivia), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Freya Allan (Ciri), Jodhi May (Calanthe), Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Eist), Adam Levy (Mousesack), MyAnna Buring (Tissaia), Mimi Ndiweni (Fringilla), Therica Wilson-Read (Sabrina), Emma Appleton (Renfri), Eamon Farren (Cahir), Joey Batey (Jaskier), Lars Mikkelsen (Stregobor), Royce Pierreson (Istredd), Maciej Musiał (Sir Lazlo), Wilson Radjou-Pujalte (Dara), and Anna Shaffer as Triss.

The Witcher hits Netflix on December 20th, and you can check out more from our Witcher coverage right here. You can also hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Witcher!