Netflix is making a Witcher TV series

A Netflix TV series based on the Witcher franchise is currently in development. 

The announcement came from Platige Image, a Polish production and visual effects studio that has previously worked on cinematics for Total War: Warhammer 2, and a commercial for Huawei. 

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The author of the Witcher books, Andrzej Sapkowski, will serve as the show's creative consultant. In the past Sapkowski has been dismissive of the games, which he considers to be nothing more than an alternative reading of his original world and characters. 

Faithful to the books?

Sapkowski's involvement in the series suggests that the show might stick closer to the books than the games if his past comments are anything to go by. 

Beyond the author, The Expanse's Sean Daniel and Jason Brown are on board as executive producers, and Tomek Baginski is directing, after having previously directed the games' intro cinematics. 

In the past video games have proved challenging to adapt into movies, with last year's Assassin's Creed being another high profile disappointment. Hopefully the combination of a TV series being adapted from a game based on a book will prove more successful for Netflix, but the lack of big-name talent at this point is ringing alarm bells.

Jon Porter

Jon Porter is the ex-Home Technology Writer for TechRadar. He has also previously written for Practical Photoshop, Trusted Reviews, Inside Higher Ed, Al Bawaba, Gizmodo UK, Genetic Literacy Project, Via Satellite, Real Homes and Plant Services Magazine, and you can now find him writing for The Verge.