The Witcher's Netflix Writers Speak Out Against Fan Backlash
After growing speculation and fan backlash following Henry Cavill's announced departure from The Witcher Netflix series, the writers have spoken out to defend themselves.
07th Dec 2022 12:05
Images via Netflix
The Witcher's Netflix Writers Speak Out Against Fan Backlash
After growing speculation and fan backlash following Henry Cavill's announced departure from The Witcher Netflix series, the writers have spoken out to defend themselves.
07th Dec 2022 12:05
Images via Netflix
The Witcher Netflix series has been in the hot seat for a while now. Ever since Henry Cavill announced back in late October that he would be leaving his role as Geralt of Rivia after Season 4, speculation has kept on coming.
Even though the split between Cavill and the show's writers seemed amicable - including the actor passing the lead torch to Liam Hemsworth - it didn't stop claims that the writers hated the original Witcher books by author, Andrzej Sapkowski - along with the games by CD Projekt Red.
The situation snowballed into fan backlash, with many believing Cavill departed because of creative differences, disliking the different directions the show went to the books and games. This led to the point where thousands have signed petitions to fire the show's writers and rehire Cavill.
However, after showrunner Lauren Hissrich gave her side of the story on Cavill's departure, writers on the team have followed suit, defending the series against the backlash.
What Have The Witcher Netflix Writers Said?
Voices defending The Witcher Netflix series and Lauren Hissrich's direction come from writers who have worked on past on upcoming seasons.
"Lauren is one of the best showrunners I've known, the writers are among the most dedicated and supportive ever, season 3 has some of Cavill's (and our) best work, and what comes after will blow people's minds," says Season 3 writer, Javier Grillo-Marxuach over Twitter.
Season 2 writer, Matt D'Ambrosio, not only echoes what Grillo-Marxuach says in Tweets of his own, but also speaks out against the former writer on the series who added to the speculation - although he wasn't named outright.
As part of a Q&A Instagram story, former writer Beau DeMayo claimed that some of the show's writers were either not fans of the books and games, or actively disliked them altogether. This added fuel to the fire, with many fans taking DeMayo's account as confirmation of what really went on behind closed doors.
D'Ambrosio refuted this in a separate Twitter thread, reaffirming his love for the games, books, and the fact that working on the show was and still is a dream job.
What Does Henry Cavill Say About Leaving The Witcher?
Cavill himself hasn't spoken out on his exact reasons for leaving the show. While the actor's massive love for the books and games does add substance to the report that he tried to leave The Witcher after Season 2 over creative differences, it never became a full certainty.
Beyond his initial Instagram post declaring his departure from the show, we haven't heard anything since, and, likely, we never will. At least not in the near future.
In the meantime, we'll just have to wait for more information as this story develops in the lead-up to the launch of Season 3 of The Witcher on Netflix, during Summer 2023.
About The Author
Ben Williams
Ben is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon. Alongside his BA (Hons) in Business Management is a wealth of gaming and entertainment writing experience, having previously occupied roles as a Copywriter in e-commerce at Overclockers and Guides & SEO Writer at GameByte and FragHero. When not whipping up guides and reviews, Ben’ll be off playing the latest Pokemon games, Overwatch 2, Spider-Man, The Witcher, and Final Fantasy - all before reading manga and listening to Ice Nine Kills.
