The Witcher author says he gave Netflix some ideas but they weren’t used: "They never listen to me"

The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski has shared some thoughts on the Netflix series in a new interview. Speaking at Vienna Comic Con, the writer was asked if he gave any feedback when he visited the show’s set.

"Well the set was tremendous, it was so wow, everything," Sapkowski replied to Cerealkillerz, before laughingly admitting, "But no, maybe I gave them some ideas, but they never listen to me. They never listen to me, but it’s normal, 'Who’s this? It’s the writer, it’s nobody.'"

The author has written six volumes in his series for The Witcher, with another one on the way next year. The novels are the primary inspiration for the Netflix live-action series, which was created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and stars Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, and Joey Batey. Up until season 3, Henry Cavill also led the show as Geralt of Rivia, but he’s due to be replaced in The Witcher season 4 by Liam Hemsworth.

In the new interview with Sapkowski, he also shared how he finds seeing adaptations of his work on screen an odd experience. "Every adaptation that I saw was strange for me, that’s the right word I suppose, strange," he tells the YouTube channel, adding that he’s not used to thinking in pictures when writing his works. 

"Every visual adaptation is strange for me," he adds. "I look at it and say, 'Woah, that’s how they picture it? Interesting.' Sometimes the impression of the visual is very nice for me, sympathetic. Sometimes it isn’t, but I will not elaborate."

The Witcher season 4 has kicked off production, but it’s unclear at the moment when filming will begin. In the meantime, Netflix has announced a new spin-off anime film called The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, which will star Geralt game actor Doug Cockle as the monster hunter.