Tomek Baginski, an executive producer on Netflix's The Witcher, insisted audiences in the United States are responsible for writers simplifying the show's plot.
Per Wyborcza, Baginski spoke candidly about the show deviating from the source material. The Witcher caters to a large, majorly American audience which, according to the producer, would influence how the show is written, "When a series is made for a huge mass of viewers, with different experiences, from different parts of the world, and a large part of them are American, these simplifications not only make sense, they are necessary," said Baginski. "It's painful for us, but a higher level of nuance and complexity will have a smaller range. It won't reach people. Sometimes it may go too far, but we have to make these decisions and accept them," he added.
Baginski also acknowledged that they were other reasons why The Witcher, currently in its third season, shifts from the source material, "Sometimes the changes are the result of production chaos, because, for example, an actor fell ill and the plot needs to be edited and rewritten within a few hours so that it can be shot the next day, because this is not the plot for which the whole production machine will stop," the producer said. "There are a lot of understandable reasons controversial decisions are made, but the viewer does not have this context, so sometimes it hurts because something was better in the book."
The Witcher's Third Season Will Be More Faithful
Lauren S. Hissrich, the showrunner for The Witcher, promised fans and audiences an adaptation that was faithful to the books. Hissrich indicated that the show's third season would closely follow the events of Andrzej Sapowski's second full-length Witcher novel, Time of Contempt. "Season 3, especially on the heels of Season 2, is a much more direct adaptation," she said. "Again just from a basic writing perspective, the book is so easily adaptable. And it really is, it can be broken down into big events," Hissrich said, adding that Time of Contempt is her favorite Witcher book pointing to the tome's action-heavy narrative as part of the appeal.
Liam Hemsworth will take up the mantle of the titular Witcher as Geralt of Rivia, replacing Henry Cavill, to which Hissrich revealed, "We had a choice to have Geralt exit and leave the show. That's not something we are willing to do. There's just too many stories left to tell."
The Witcher Season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.
Source: Wyborcza, via ComicBook.com