I think it’s probably fair to say that many of those with a Netflix subscription are still in a state over some information they received toward the end of October 2022. That was when the internet erupted over the news that Henry Cavill had opted to leave The Witcher after Season 3 (which had already completed filming by that point). Fans of the hit fantasy drama were so outraged that they started a petition to bring the Justice League actor back and fire all the writers. Now, with viewer outcry still on-going, the author of the books the series is based on has shared his thoughts on the streaming adaptation, and Cavill’s fans will likely agree with him.
What Did The Witcher’s Author Say About The Netflix Series?
Everyone who wants the fantasy-loving, tabletop game figurine-painting Geralt actor (who’s now working on an adaptation of the Warhammer games) to return to the show is still voicing their opinion online by way of that petition, which now has over 308,000 signatures. Fans have come up with a theory about why the former Superman star decided to abandon this particular monster-fighting ship, which is mainly focused on him not being on board with all of the changes being made to The Witcher’s story as it was put forth in several books.
Andrzej Sapkowski, who wrote those books, spoke recently at the Taipei International Book Exhibition, and a Twitter user who was in attendance shared his thoughts on the hit show, after he was asked about it, and something tells me that many of Cavill’s supporters will dig where the writer is coming from:
I've seen better. I've seen worse.
Oh, boy. Now, there’s no way to know if Sapkowski (who has said he loved Cavill in the lead) went into any additional detail, but just this quote by itself definitely speaks volumes. If you're on the side of a TV show, you don’t admit that you’ve seen things that are better, and you also don’t say that there are worse things. His words firmly put his opinion of Netflix’s The Witcher in a not-so-great middle ground, and while it’s a more welcome view than hating it outright, it’s still not anything to write home about.
Despite the success of the sword-baring hit, reviews have been pretty mixed throughout. The first season brought a lot of confusion over the three timelines used within, and fans have been annoyed with how the story is progressing (and rumors point to the fantasy star feeling similarly way before he quit) on the series, with many agreeing that the main reason to keep watching is the star himself, who worked hard to nab the role of Geralt of Rivia and was incredibly eager to bring a property he already loved to life.
With him turning his Ciri-saving duties over to Liam Hemsworth for Season 4 (and potentially beyond), many have declared that they will stop watching after the upcoming The Witcher Season 3, and threatened to dump the streaming service altogether. A previous report by a former writer on the show that many of the other creatives were “actively mocking the source material,” combined with the apparent failure of the first live-action spinoff, The Witcher: Blood Origin, and what the original author has now said, will likely do nothing to change those feelings.
The showrunner has tried to keep fans excited about the epic tale by teasing Cavill’s “heroic sendoff” and nearly begging them to stick around for the third season, but only time will tell whether or not that works in the show’s favor.
