Yesterday Netflix unveiled an official first look at the main cast for the upcoming “The Witcher” adaptation, featuring the already announced lead Henry Cavill along with newcomers Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan.
The worst monsters are the ones we create. pic.twitter.com/OIJeWwCYFK
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) July 1, 2019
In a press drop from Netflix’s media center on July 1st, a selection of images and key art from the fantasy adventure adaptation were released along with the official social media handles and information regarding their San Diego Comic Con panel.
Henry Cavill, most known for his role as Superman in Man of Steel and Justice League, will be playing the titular monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. Anya Chalotra will be playing the sorceress Yennefer, and is known for her roles in Wanderlust and The ABC Murders. Freya Allan is cast as the young princess Ciri, known for her roles in Into the Badlands and The War of the Worlds. The show is primarily based on The Witcher Saga, a series of fantasy novels written by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, which have seen various adaptations including the popular video game series.
Here is the official logline for the show set to release some time late 2019:
Based on the best-selling fantasy series of books, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”
Gripes aside for the wig choice for Henry Cavill’s Geralt (which I should note looks noticeably better in these images), the main cast and costuming looks pretty well adapted, nothing particularly extraordinary or different. The most obvious comparison is to the video game depiction, of which the aesthetic style appears to be adhering to the most.
The only noticeably different aspect in the image above is the fact that the iconic Witcher medallion has taken on its own unique form for the TV series. While Geralt’s medallion is typically depicted as a 3D shaped Wolf, the Netflix version appears to be a more subtle 2D version.
This announcement comes on the eve of upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, where hopefully we’ll get our first trailer for the series and get a serious look into how the series is going to be framed. But for now, the anticipation is growing for the upcoming series set to release later this year.
