Spoiler Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 3 Volume 2.
An executive producer on The Witcher has defended Netflix against fans claiming the show writers don’t respect the original books.
A tweet from executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (below) referenced one scene from the books as proof of this, saying original scripts included a scene closer to the original version from author Andrzej Sapkowski.
“For those who claim that we don’t read or respect the books, the writers’ draft of The Witcher [Season 3 Episode 6] absolutely began with Dijkstra holding Geralt at knife point as he pissed into a plant,” Grillo-Marxuach said. “I have the pages to prove it.”
for those who claim that we don’t read/respect the books – the writers draft of #TheWitcher 306 ABSOLUTELY began with dykstra holding geralt at knife point as he pissed into a plant. i have the pages to prove it!
— javier grillo-marxuach (@OKBJGM) July 28, 2023
This episode of The Witcher opened with Geralt leaving his bedroom before accidentally bumping into Dijkstra, who held a knife to him as chaos erupted around them. Geralt leaves the bedroom to relieve himself in the books, choosing a nearby garden to do so, which is seemingly what Grillo-Marxuach is referencing here.
Interestingly though, and despite this example being given to illustrate a commitment to the books, the scene doesn’t play out with Dijkstra holding a knife to Geralt in the books. It’s instead his guards that restrain Geralt, at least in the original English version of Sapkowski’s version.
Fan criticism of The Witcher’s writing team perhaps peaked when former producer Beau DeMayo said some staff “actively disliked” and even mocked Sapkowski’s books, though this was refuted by showrunner Lauren Hissrich.
The Witcher Season 3 has just wrapped alongside Henry Cavill’s role as Geralt of Rivia, with Liam Hemsworth taking over in Season 4. Though the writers are remaining vague, this seemingly won’t be a simple recast but instead a “meta” transition that’s true to the books.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
