In a seeming attempt to entice viewers back into the fold, Netflix’s The Witcher executive producer Tomasaz ‘Tomek’ Bagiński has pushed back against the doubts surrounding Geralt’s recasting by assuring audiences that the eventual swap-over will not only adhere to Andrzej Sapkowski’s original stories, but also follows the typical practices Hollywood has engaged in regarding live-action depictions of large pop-culture icons.
Bagiński offered his takes on Henry Cavill’s replacement by Liam Hemsworth during a recent interview with Polish-language news site Wyborcza.
Per a translation of the pay-walled article provided by fantasy-centric news outlet Redanian Intelligence, asked for his thoughts on the theory raised by many viewers, including YouTuber The Sporking News Podcast during a December 2022 appearance on Bounding Into Comics’ weekly livestream, that the series would fall back on the concept of the multiverse to explain away the upcoming actor-swap would, the EP denied that this would be the case.
Instead, said Bagiński, Hemsworth’s addition to the cast would follow the spirit of Sapkowski’s fifth The Witcher saga novel The Lady of the Lake, wherein the author revealed that the tales they had been told of Geralt and company’s adventures were not retellings of the group’s actual actions, but rather an interpretation of their ‘legend’ being recounted hundreds of years after their journeys had come to an end.
“Many book readers forget what Andrzej Sapkowski did in the fifth volume of the saga,” explained the director of the recent live-action Knights of the Zodiac film. “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. And this cannot be compared with, for example, the currently popular concept of the multiverse, where out of nowhere there are many different realities.”
“There is only one reality in Sapkowski’s work, but because it is a story from the past, what we know has been filtered by various authors, historians, writers, etc,” he continued. “Maybe it is Jaskier’s version or someone else’s. Maybe Ciri had a different eye color, was a different character, and these events looked different from the point of view of the elves.
Recalling the controversy sparked by The Lady of the Lake‘s revelation, Bagiński asserted “I’ll say this: I remember the discussions even during the release of the books. 20 years ago, when the 5th book was released, 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.“
“There are, for instance, quotes from encyclopedias or from contemporary songs at the beginning of each chapter,” he detailed. “Suddenly, it turns out that we can jump forward and backward in this narrative, change the context of what happened, etc. I see what’s happening among the fans and how rigidly they interpret what The Witcher is. But the truth is, the ways of interpretation can vary widely.
“I believe that what has been planned for Season 4 is consistent with the books,” the producer then declared. “But I might interpret it differently than someone who can’t get over the fact that Geralt’s face has changed. I really like the idea for the opening of Season 4, but whether the audience will like it, we’ll see.“
Drawing his thoughts on the topic to a close, Bagiński turned to address the real-world aspect of Geralt’s recasting and explain why he felt the overall act was nothing to write home about.
“Henry was a fantastic Geralt, but in the history of pop culture we have many actors who played the same character, and the character itself changed,” he argued, per a translation of this part of his interview provided by another fantasy-centric news source, WinterIsComing.net. “I am most pleased that the series was created and became so popular. The Witcher has already reached the level of Batman, Superman and James Bond. Maybe we hoped to see him in a new version only in a few years, but it happened now. And that’s nothing new for iconic pop culture heroes.”
As of writing, The Witcher‘s fourth season has yet to receive an official release date.
NEXT: ‘The Witcher’ Executive Producer Tomek Bagiński Confirms Ciri Will Take Center Stage In Season 4