“The Witcher” author says Netflix “never listened” to his ideas for the series

Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski says Netflix “never listened” to his ideas for “The Witcher” series, adapted from the books and games he wrote.

“Maybe I gave them some ideas, but they never listened to me. But it’s normal (…) Who is this? He’s a writer, he’s not a nobody,” he said wryly at Vienna Comic-Con last week.

Netflix did not comment on the statements. The information is from The Hollywood Reporter.

The “The Witcher” team has been facing criticism from the fan community of the original story, who complain about the series’ deviations.

One of the biggest criticisms was about star Henry Cavill’s departure after the third season, which ended in July.

Although the reason for his departure was not explained to fans, Cavill is a big fan of Sapkowski’s books and has said several times that he considers it important that the series be faithful to the source material.

Months before his departure from the series, Cavill told The Hollywood Reporter that he was committed to seven seasons “as long as we can continue to tell great stories that honor Sapkowski’s work.”

Cavill will be replaced in season four by Liam Hemsworth.

The series’ producer, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, stated that she never mocked the original text and that they are her livelihood.

“Books are my entire livelihood. I have a great relationship with Mr. Sapkowski, and writers’ rooms are sacred and safe and—more than anything—supportive spaces. Don’t believe everything you read,” she said.

Despite all this, “The Witcher” series continues to be a success, with the third season accumulating 99.4 million hours of viewing, according to Nielsen Media Research, and spending eight weeks in the Top 10 on Netflix.

*Published by Pedro Jordão, from CNN in Sao Paulo