While Netflix's The Witcher is firmly based on the original fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, it was the CD Projekt RED games that first brought Geralt of Rivia to the attention of a wider audience.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in particular, is regarded as one of the most popular and well-received RPGs of all time... so much so that many fans of the game had trouble with the idea of Henry Cavill in the lead role after Doug Cockle completely embodied the gruff and witheringly sarcastic Geralt.
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Naturally Cavill went on to absolutely nail the role, and The Witcher became a massive hit for Netflix. With a second series and anime spinoff movie currently in the works, it's clear that showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has more than enough material to work with from the books without ever having to adapt the games.
The good news is that doesn't mean there won't be more Easter eggs and gags thrown in for fans of CD Projekt's interpretation of the fantasy franchise. Hissrich explained to TV Guide in a recent interview that we can expect future seasons of The Witcher to reference the games "as often as possible".
"We want to pay homage to it, to them as often as possible," the showrunner said. "And also I've been to CD Projekt Red. I've met all of all of those really talented people there. And what they do is amazing. So, if we can offer them a wink and a nod whenever we can, we will."
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The show's debut season was pretty light on references to the games when it aired late last year. Not a huge surprise, given the amount of work the writers had to do to establish the world and characters of Sapkowski's novels. However, there were one or two slight nods here and there, including a splendid visual reference to the famous tub scene at the start of The Witcher 3.
While more references to the CD Projekt's work are always welcome, just don't expect The Witcher to start adapting any of the original plots or quests from the video games, Hissrich has explicitly said in the past that they're entirely focused on telling Sapkowski's stories, and that there's enough there to fuel the show for years.
As cool as it'd be to see Netflix adapt the story of The Witcher 3, such a thing would be a long way off - if it ever happened at all.
Featured Image Credit: Netflix/CD Projekt REDTopics: The Witcher, CD Projekt Red