Netflix has done a great job so far in marketing their new upcoming series, The Witcher. The revelations of the main cast, their character looks, show poster and Geralt’s beloved horse Roach have all been built up at a pace that keeps fans on their toes.
And now, the first official teaser finally drops.
Using the tagline “The worst monsters are the ones we create”, the teaser gives a wonderful preview of what the series will be bringing to our screens.
Fans of the books and video games know they’re in for a treat, seeing their favourite characters come to life in a live-action tale with visually-pleasing special effects. Of course the show isn’t safe from some criticisms already, especially about how the setting isn’t as gritty as in the original and how Henry Cavill looks more like a pretty, clean-faced Legolas than a battle-worn traveller Geralt. But that aside, the show looks pretty good so far and more importantly, very intriguing.
The teaser does a wonderful job showing viewers a lot without giving away too much. And if you’re not part of that community, don’t fret! The series is beginner-friendly as it explores the back story of what makes Geralt the way he is, why Ciri is so special and what Yennefer’s secret is.
Yennefer’s secret (origin story)
Yennefer is played by 23-year-old Anya Chalotra, which naturally raises the question of why she was picked for the role of Geralt’s love interest since Cavill is 36. But the answer is simple: the series follows what’s in the books.
As Chalotra explained at San Diego Comic-Con, Yennefer is a sorceress who is actually way older than she looks. She went on to talk about the show including Yennefer’s origin story, how she was born a hunchback and trains her magic.
Chalotra also shares with Gizmodo that the biggest challenge to playing a character that’s supposed to be so much older than herself is the breath.
“Sometimes it’s not enough to just change an accent, or to just change your hair color or to change an outfit or costume. It’s the way someone breathes. And that is something that I find most challenging, but it’s why I accepted the role. Because I didn’t have someone to age me [with makeup or prosthetics], I just had to change.”
Besides that, there’s another reason why they cast a young actress for the role. According to showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the actress has to be able to portray Yennefer’s both past and present without needing to hire a second actress for the backstory scenes.
“Yennefer is a sorceress who’s actually quite old but looks very young, but has the experience of someone who’s lived for a long time. But also we knew we were going to be telling a little bit of her backstory, so I wanted someone who could portray her at a younger age as well. And that’s a really really difficult thing to find: Someone who can look young and yet have that life experience.”
And because Chalotra could do both, Hissrich hired her as the first lead for the series. Amazing! From what we can see from the teaser, I think she made the right choice. Can’t wait to see how everything plays out.
Netflix’s The Watcher still has yet to reveal the release date, but it’s coming sometime soon.
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