Good morning, Readers!

So, the main trailer and release date for Netflix’s new nerd acquisition, The Witcher, dropped a fortnight or so ago. Knowing that I streamed the lengthy final game (and its DLCs) in the trilogy not all that long ago and had a good time with it, a number of my friends directed me towards the trailer when it dropped. I may have also had and voiced opinions about the news that Netflix acquired the rites to The Witcher, and then had more opinions when Henry Cavill was announced in the titular role.

A few things to note about me and my opinions. They’re horribly ill-informed. My experience with The Witcher is the third game (The Wild Hunt). That’s it. If you’re curious about how I felt about the game, you can check out my review on Chalgyrs here. I’ve not read the books on which the game was based, though I do plan to (should I make it a thing to do, and then share my thoughts here, do you think?). I don’t have as strong an emotional attachment to the world, the characters or the story as I might have had I read (presuming I enjoyed them) the books, or even had followed the games from the first.

But about the Netflix series….

Unlike previous occasions when I heard some production company or other acquired the rights to a franchise beloved by many, I didn’t roll my eyes skyward. I had enough exposure to the things Netflix acquired that I loved that my first thought was not derisive, but instead, “That could be interesting.” So, I kept an eye on news surrounding the upcoming series.

The first and most profound stumbling block was the announcement of Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. Look, Mr. Cavill is a fine actor, and he’s handsome (I suppose? I don’t know. I’m not the best judge of these things).

But he is not Geralt of Rivia.

I mean… Come on.

To my mind, there were many other equally as fine actors who looked more the part (I’m also not a fan of how bulky Mr. Cavill appears in this role. Part of the character design of Geralt in the game that I loved was that he was refreshingly lean, rather than the ‘superhero’ bulk favored of late. I mean, he’s strong, yes. But he’s got to be fast, agile, and spends a lot of his time travelling and probably skipped a few meals here and there. He wouldn’t be a hulking bag of meat, would he? This is quite the diversion from the topic at hand. Pardon). For myself, I was hoping for someone more like Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. He looks much more the part, and has the chops to pull it off. I mean, Geralt sleeps with an awful lot of women. Mr. Coster-Waldau has the charisma necessary to make that believable. I’ve heard said. Again, I’m not the best judge of this sort of thing.

I mean… It just fits, right?

I do imagine, though, that he’s had quite enough of big budget fantasy epics, and probably wanted a role that didn’t require a sword for his next one. Alas.

Mads Mikkelsen was another I think would have embodied the role well. But what do I know? I’m just some dink who enjoyed a game once.

These were my thoughts before the trailer dropped. This could be interesting, but I don’t think Henry Cavill was the right choice. Then came the trailer.  Here it is, for those interested:

My interest has been piqued and my skepticism assuaged a little. While I’m still not sure of Henry Cavill’s casting, I am willing to look past how I personally feel he fits (or doesn’t) the role and give this series a go. It looks, honestly, right up my alley. I still maintain that I don’t think Henry Cavill will be how I imagined Geralt of Rivia to be (though the script itself is promising, from what I saw of his character), I’m very willing to have my mind changed.

Even if it isn’t changed, the series looks to have the potential of entertaining me regardless.

I will promise to give you all my opinions on the series, and possibly the books, once I get my grubby little hands on them. Until then, have a picture of a pensive Geralt of Rivia as sundown. You’re welcome.

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When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and cuddling her cats. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and cuddling furry murderers. Her most recent titles include ‘Daughters of Britain’ and ‘Skylark.’ www.smcarriere.com