Rumor: Netflix’s Witcher Television Series Will Race-Swap Ciri
Netflix’s Witcher television series which just recently announced that Henry Cavill would take on the main role of Geralt is facing hot water after a casting announcement on the National Youth Theatre website.
The casting announcement specifically noted it was for The Witcher on Netflix and that it was for the part of Ciri a.k.a. Cirilla, The Lion Cub of Cintra.
The casting announcement reads:
“Looking for a 16 or 15 year old BAME girl who can play down to 13/14. Must not be older than 18 years old.
Resilient, Relentless, Brazen, Growing.”
It continues:
“CIRI can often be found rough-housing with the Palace hands instead of sitting in finery at the knee of the QUEEN CALANTHE, her grandmother. That is, until Cintra is massacred by the Nilfgaardians and CIRI is orphaned, left to traverse THE CONTINENT, alone. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s a direct descendent of LARA DORREN, an Elven Mage – which is why everyone in our series is after her. We follow CIRI as she evades her captors, and in the meantime, discovers her magical talents, her dark side, and the role she is to play in the coming apocalypse. We are looking for an extraordinary young talent to lead this series. She should be brave hearted and MUST have something truly special about her.”
Fans specifically took issue with the fact that the show is apparently looking for a BAME girl. BAME stands for black, Asian, and minority ethnic. Minority ethnic specifically refers to members of non-white communities in the United Kingdom.
In the books Ciri is described as very pale and fair skinned. She also has ashen grey hair and green emerald eyes.
Showrunner Lauren S. Hissirch addressed the rumored casting on Twitter.
You guys. You KNOW I don’t comment on casting. I never have. I never will.
Except…
One very special lady, who I saw several options for today:
♥️?♥️
— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) September 8, 2018
And fans of both the Witcher novels as well as the video games expressed their disappointment in the alleged race swapping of Ciri.
Yeah you've just killed all hype for the show for 99% of the people who were going to watch this show. Good job. I'll stick to the games and books.
— FRANK CASTLE (@Toby1ee) September 8, 2018
Look at it this way: if the story were to happen in Asia, in a fantastic china, everyone would find it strange that the protagonist was a white girl with green eyes
— Ulyses (@Ulyses2) September 8, 2018
Ciri has to be faithful to her description in the books. If it isn't we'll simply boycott it and it will fail. You wouldn't make Tchalla white would you? Then why change a white character into a non white character especially in an eastern european medieval setting?
— Pierre ?? ?⭐️⭐️ (@ENdeR_KiLLza) September 8, 2018
Thousands will. She has to be slav. There's thousands of little slav girls out there waiting for a role like that. Finally giving Slav representation and especially slav girls is as essential as giving black or asian people representation. They truly live in patriarchal societies
— Pierre ?? ?⭐️⭐️ (@ENdeR_KiLLza) September 8, 2018
I don't give a shit about other roles but not Ciri. She's the embodiment of fighting for what's right and how to become a powerful woman and I feel like it's dreadfully needed in slav societies today.
— Pierre ?? ?⭐️⭐️ (@ENdeR_KiLLza) September 8, 2018
If Ciri is a bame girl, i’m boycotting this show. Probably the whole fanbase in Poland will. Extremely disrespectful. For them it’s not some fantasy netflix marvel show. It’s a historic cultural based story in Poland with eastern european folklore. From research you should know.
— Damiano (@DamianoGaming) September 8, 2018
Could you just try to make a good show without forcing the diversity agenda into it like a hack? If you want to add color, create new characters, don't just paint over the existing ones.
— Pelisetä (@peliseta) September 8, 2018
BAME Ciri? Seriously?
— Fisstech (@Cyb3r_punk) September 8, 2018
Agreed, leave the characters as they are, especially Ciri!
— Manjot Singh ? (@_CabooseRVB) September 8, 2018
I can't believe you're butchering the story and making Ciri "non white" why don't we just make Blackpanther 2 with a white dude? Seems to really fit the story well!
— Björn Riedel (@kiddoBjorn) September 8, 2018
plz talk to someone who’s in charge of casting and stop the BS PC！
— stanleyho (@StanleyHo730) September 8, 2018
Could you just try to make a good show without forcing the diversity agenda into it like a hack? If you want to add color, create new characters, don't just paint over the existing ones.
— Pelisetä (@peliseta) September 8, 2018
The Witcher show has already faced a number of controversies. The writing staff posted a photo of them making a clear stand on the United States’ immigration policy under President Donald J. Trump.
They specifically held up signs reading “Seeking asylum is not illegal.” and “Keep families together.”
The #Witcher writers stand with our fellow writers’ rooms, united against xenophobia and racism. Please join us in supporting RAICES, which provides legal aid to immigrant families. #OneVidaAtATime #ReuniteTheFamilies https://t.co/wOMp92MDTD pic.twitter.com/9gKNNtSffZ
— Lauren S. Hissrich (@LHissrich) June 26, 2018
Given Hissirch specifically made the writer’s room of The Witcher political, fans were worried Hissrich and the writers would try to push their own political agenda onto the show.
Hissirch responded to those criticisms in a series of Tweets stating, “The show IS political…but they’re not MY politics, or the writers’ Why? because we’re professionals who have zero desire to use a tv show to justify our own collective liberal opinions because THAT’s F****** INSANE.”
Netflix’s Witcher is already off to a rocky start and they haven’t even begun filming yet.
Will you watch the show if they race swap Ciri?
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