Witcher Voice Actor Baffled by Netflix's Divergence from Books Like The Rest of Us
Netflix's The Witcher took some serious liberties from the books, and Geralt of Rivia's voice actor Doug Cockle is just as confused as fans.
While just about every fan of the series knows about its video game roots, fewer know that it was originally based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The video game series worked as non-canon sequels to the books.
The Netflix series deviated severely from both, much to the chagrin of fans – including Cockle.
Cockle spoke about the story changes at MCM Comic Con Birmingham 2022.
Cockle said he didn't "personally understand the choice" to make changes to the story, but whether the changes are good or bad is up to the fans and critics.
He said that Henry Cavill – the original star of the series – was a massive fan of the original story in both the books and video games. Cavill's said the same, often describing himself as a "nerd." Cockle believed Cavill left the role of Geralt because of the liberties Netflix had taken with the storyline.
When The Witcher first hit Netflix in 2020, Cockle voiced his pleasure on Twitter. He said the characters were well-played and the world was "lovingly realized."
There were a few differences initially, like the inclusion of Yennefer's backstory. In the books, the first time Geralt meets Yennefer is the first time audiences meet her as well. There were a few new characters, a few that got more screen time, and several new events – but overall, Cockle still said he was excited to watch Season 2.
Season 2 is when serious changes happened, apparently turning both Cockle and Cavill off to the series.
Yennefer never had her powers stolen by the Deathless Mother in the original story. Eskel was Geralt's equal in the games; he was killed off in the series. Geralt constantly rebukes Triss in the series, not leading to the relationship the two held in the games.
When adapting video games to shows or movies, studios are often very careful not to offend the fans they attract. Netflix's showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich wasn't as concerned with that; she just wanted to make the best story in her own voice.
While Cockle, Cavill, and many other fans of the games may disagree with the changes, The Witcher has nonetheless become one of Netflix's most popular shows. Season 2 was nominated for three Emmys and was rated 95% on Rotten Tomatoes – higher than Season 1 at 68%. The show overall holds an 81% fresh rating.
While the changes haven't made every fan happy, Hissrich has undoubtedly made one of the most successful video game adaptations ever.