The Witcher book series by Andrzej Sapkowski may be famous for its fantasy elements, but the upcoming Netflix series will reportedly focus more on scares.
The series will follow Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia as he hunts down monsters. This type of character stands out from other horror protagonists, as most would run and hide from the threat, rather than seek it out.
In an interview with SFX magazine, visual effects supervisor Julian Parry doubled down and said, “We’re definitely taking the fantasy out. I can honestly say we’re not fantastical.”
I definitely think [The Witcher] leans more towards horror.
Julian Parry
It has always been a challenge to make CGI monsters genuinely scary, though it’s not impossible. Andy Muschietti’s It movies managed just fine and some of the monsters we’ve seen from The Witcher are plenty grisly.
Furthermore, Parry has been in the visual effects industry for decades. Having worked on James Cameron’s Aliens, all the way to Vikings on the History Channel.
Horror may be the central focus, but this genre has always blended with fantasy. From author H.P. Lovecraft (The Call of Cthulhu, The Shadow Over Innsmouth) to Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water), the two are commonly intertwined.
The creator has much more in mind
Series creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich (Daredevil, The Umbrella Academy) has high hopes for renewal, claiming she has seven seasons worth of material planned out.
Henry Cavill seems to be done playing Superman in the DCEU at this point and so his schedule could be open to this possibility. He is also an avid fan of the books and games.
Also read: Henry Cavill’s Warner Bros. Conflict Reportedly Fake
Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra (Wanderlust) will star alongside Cavill and the eight-episode debut season of The Witcher will be released on December 20, 2019.
