The Witcher producer Tomasz Bagiński is leaning into the "flexibility" of Andrzej Sapkowski's reality-bending novels, disqualifying the fan-led multiverse theory for Season 4.
Bagiński was speaking to Wyborcza regarding narrative differences between the book and the show. "Many book readers forget about the flip that Andrzej Sapkowski did in the fifth volume of the saga," he says. "For me, this is one of the most important things in the whole story. I’m not talking about specific events, but the narrative framework that was introduced in this book. Suddenly, at the beginning of the book, we learn that everything we’ve read so far might not have been true."
"This cannot be compared with, for example, the currently popular concept of the multiverse, where out of nowhere there are many different realities," he says, seemingly criticizing Marvel and DC, noting the demand of some fans who might push things like the multiverse theory of T'Challa. Bagiński is referring to a book narrator who may be unreliable, leading to distortions like Ciri's eye color or details relating to her character.
"20 years ago, when Volume 5 came out, people were very frustrated. Everything was turned upside down, and suddenly it turned out to be some postmodern play with form. It was supposed to be fantasy, but it turned into a philosophical discourse on the nature of reality. In this context, the world built by Andrzej Sapkowski seems to me one of the most flexible in all of fantasy," he continues. This discourse on the nature of reality' provides a clue on how Season 4 will pan out.
Liam Hemsworth Becomes the New Geralt
Cavill's recasting leaves fans wondering how the showrunners will integrate Liam Hemsworth, replacing Cavill until at least Season 5. Bagiński's words rule out the multiverse, but may also rule out another common theory which is to disfigure Geralt, before healing and replacing him with a new face.
An unreliable perspective might have Hemsworth simply slot into the role with fans expected to play along. However, given Baginski's words assuring flawlessness and lore-accuracy, as well as Anya Chalotra [Yennefer]'s recent comments on the importance of Geralt and Yennefer's chemistry, these distortions won't just affect Geralt's appearance, but the story as a whole.
The Witcher is available to stream via Netflix. The fourth season of The Witcher currently has no release date.
Source: Wyborcza