If you’re a Witcher fan and not keeping up with Lauren Hissrich’s Twitter stream, you’re missing out. Some of the best information on the upcoming, in-production Witcher series comes straight from the writer/show runner/executive producer herself. She’s deep in the writing process for the pilot, and as she moves along in the process she gives fans a look into her progress, her take on the characters, and oh, yeah, which characters we can expect to see.
Not surprisingly she lists Geralt (duh), Yennifer, Ciri and Triss. Video game fans will also recognize Jaskier (aka Dandelion, the poet-narrator), Roach (whom she calls ladylike but all my swearing at her, specifically during races, would say otherwise), Emhyr, and Regis. Also mentioned? Vilforge the sorcerer, Emhyr’s errand boy Cahir, tragic archer Milva, Villentretenmerth the dragon, Nightingale gang member Angouleme, and villainous bounty hunter Leo Bonhart.
There’s no word on whether the infamous unicorn will make an appearance.
Hissrich goes a little into her take on the characters. She calls Geralt:
Stoic.
Circumspect.
Balanced.
Fierce.
Soft-and-squishy-in-a-tiny-place-in-his-heart-that-he’ll-never-reveal-until-maybe-the-end-and-even-then-it-will-just-be-a-hint
And later in the thread, Yennifer:
Fiery.
Proud.
Shrewd.
Contradictory.
Seeking-to-fill-a-family-sized-hole-in-her-heart-even-though-she-resents-it-and-swears-she’s-just-fine-on-her-own-but-she-is-not-and-we-love-her-for-being-both-independent-and-vulnerable.
The thread gives us a good idea of what we can expect out of the characters in her adaptation.
Meanwhile, the script for the pilot – a little long, clocking in at 78 pages – is in the hands of Netflix for notes.
Hissrich talks about everything from her process as a writer to things she’ll ban followers for doing. Things we haven’t seen so far: plot details (though the character list gives us a good idea of where we’re going), and potential casting information (which has been a subject of wild speculation on the internet).
Hissrich’s previous writing credits include five episodes of Netflix’s The Defenders, three episodes of Daredevil and assorted dramas including Parenthood, Private Practice and The West Wing (which might explain the length of the script).
The only thing we know for sure is that it’s tentatively dated for premiere in 2018, and that it draws influence from the books as well as the video games (so we probably won’t see the Bloody Baron or the Crones of Crookback Swamp for a while). Keep an eye out later in the year, though chances are their famous algorithm will make sure you know when Geralt and friends arrive. With Projekt CD Red declaring there will be no Witcher 4 (but please look forward to Cyberpunk 2077), the good people at Netflix are giving us a little something other than trophy hunting and endless Gwent matches to fill the Geralt-shaped hole in our hearts – or video game collection.