Lauren S. Hissrich, the showrunner for The Witcher, has revealed details of the pitch she gave to Netflix.
The Witcher season one is now available on Netflix and it seems audiences around the world have really taken to the gruesome fantasy series. One thing that has proved a little problematic, however, is the unconventional storytelling method utilised.
Season one presents three different character journeys, revealing halfway through the season that these are not happing at the same time. Some audience members have been confused by the different timelines but according to showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich, this was all part of the initial pitch to Netflix.
In a Reddit post, she explained: “… I sat in a Netflix conference room and pitched them what would eventually become the pilot of The Witcher. I’d been grappling for a few months about how to best tell the stories of Geralt, Yen, and Ciri, and then I had a (controversial) idea: tell them in three separate timelines over the first season. That was November 29, 2017. I’m attaching the initial document I wrote up for that pitch.
“Some things have changed. For instance, after searching all over the world for a 12-year-old Ciri — and then realizing that a lot of her scenes were at night, for which filming is highly restricted for minors — we aged that character up. Yennefer, too, was originally written into the pilot — until I realized I’d written a feature-length film, not an hour-long show. The biggest shift was that originally, I’d intended to keep it a secret that Ciri was the child Geralt was destined to be with, for at least a few episodes — we even shot the pilot that way! But in editorial, we realized that the timelines were enough of a mystery, we didn’t need to keep adding more and more veils. I fought against the change for a while, but in retrospect, it was a good decision. But a lot hasn’t changed. Most importantly, the heart of the show. It’s so interesting to go back and see that we were passionate about interweaving of Geralt’s, Yennefer’s, and Ciri’s stories since the very beginning, and that we managed to keep it alive.”
SEE ALSO: The Witcher showrunner addresses criticism of the narrative structure of the first season
From the sounds of it, season two will be a little more straightforward in the way it tells its story. Fingers crossed it can deliver another entertaining collection of episodes.
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.
The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer and Freya Allan as Ciri. Other cast members include Jodhi May, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Adam Levy, MyAnna Buring, Mimi Ndiweni, Therica Wilson-Read, Emma Appleton, Eamon Farren, Joey Batey, Lars Mikkelsen, Royce Pierreson, Maciej Musiał, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte, and Anna Shaffer.
Originally published January 11, 2020. Updated January 10, 2020.
