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‘I’ve tried to separate myself from this job’: The Witcher’s Anya Chalotra on fan abuse, Henry Cavill (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/television@piefed.social
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[–] 38 points 1 year ago (10 children)

The performances were not the problem with the show.

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  • [–] 50 points 1 year ago (9 children)

    The writers famously hate the source material, and seem to forget the cardinal lesson with adaptations: The source material is what made millions of dollars, not your shitty untested ideas.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    But shitting on an existing IP is the only way to get your own material out there nowadays

    Nobody picks up originals anymore, so you take your own shit, wrap in in an IP and sell it

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Was the Witcher not an original IP when it got picked up? This seems like a lazy answer.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    No, there were books, then there were games. The games changed some stuff (probably, didn't read the books didn't play the games didn't watch the show), the show changed more from the games.

    The books were an original idea, but there were a few of them before it got notable enough. Point is the showrunners aren't pitching original ideas that immediately shoot to popularity, original shows need time to build up to know if it's good but networks and publishers can pull the plug anytime they decide it's not fast enough. You don't strike gold on the first 3 episodes.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The main change in the games is it's set after the assumed death of Geralt in the books. So it's new stuff after the books. The popularity of the games made Sapkowski write more books that are different from what happens in the games.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Good for the guy. Wikipedia says it started as short stories in a magazine starting 1986, became books in 1994, games in 2007. So it did take a while, work, and layers of recognition from the magazine readers to the Netflix execs. Showrunners just say skip all that.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Let’s simplify:

    Writer X has an idea for a fantasy show

    Can’t get it sold

    Writer X slaps Witcher lore on their own script loosely

    Script is sold because now it’s a known property, the industry likes that

    Now the writers follow the “official” plot for a while and steer towards their own ideas more and more because that’s what they wanted to do originally.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    That seems to describe a few shows that let me down.

    I'm not trying to defend Witcher. I was just curious on your thoughts. I have heard the writers didn't care that much for the original content, but I don't know any details.

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    • [–] 21 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    She's amazing! Why is she getting shit on by the fans? She could be Hollywood royalty. She should be a superstar.

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  • [–] 31 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    It says in the article that she didn't match a lot of the fans preconceived ideas of her character. Basically, she wasn't white enough?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    I didn't like her as a choice for Yennefer at the beginning, because the vibe didn't match what I read into the books. But I excepted, that she was an alternative Yennefer and well Chalotra did really pull it of in the end. Can't imagine that ethnicity was the real problem, it was probably the writing

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    • [–] 10 points 1 year ago*

    So you could say it's a shitshow shit show.

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    [–] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Refreshingly for a big-budget fantasy show, The Witcher will bow out with its story complete, rather than at some dissatisfying midpoint due to an unceremonious cancellation. And though viewers will be seeing a final season of monsters, magic, mages, swords, skulduggery and swearing next year, the final two seasons were filmed back to back, meaning after the evening’s shindig, that’s that.

    Glad to know I can finish the show with a proper ending, whatever that entails.

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  • [–] 16 points 1 year ago

    I am not the kind who wants to stick to the source 100% or complains about divinations in the story. But the character’s core changes they made during season 2 were jarring and honestly heartbreaking. Especially in terms of Yen and Ciri.

    If they followed the books we would have had a story where the main characters rarely meet up or interact as they all chase each other around the land. Not great for tv, so I knew changes were necessary but this was Luke skywalker in last Jedi level character changes, and Yen did things in the show that would be unthinkable for her to do in the books

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