Last week, Platige Films announced its collaboration with the Sean Daniel Company to create a movie about Geralt of Rivia.
If you’re familiar with the apparent curse that all movie adaptations of video games turn out terrible, don’t panic. This movie isn’t based on the Witcher games.
Rather, it’s based on the short stories “The Witcher” and “The Lesser Evil.” Both are found in The Last Wish, which I enjoyed and reviewed. (You can also get a PDF copy of “The Witcher” if you buy or redeem the first Witcher game from GOG.com.)
Okay, if you feel like movie adaptations of books often disregard the source material and ruin your favorite stories, now you can panic.
I admit, I’m one of those people. Whenever I hear a book I like is getting a movie adaptation, my excitement is tempered by sheer dread. My first reaction to the news that the Star Wars Extended Universe was no longer canon was, “At least they’ll never ruin Thrawn.” So I can’t help but worry they’ll ruin this, too.
However, it gives me some hope that the movie is based on two short stories rather than a full novel. They shouldn’t have to cut content. This movie is also intended to lead into a TV series, which gives me hope that they want to faithfully represent the universe.
On the other hand, the original announcement says the movie is based on “themes from” those two stories. It might just be the phrasing, because basing something on “themes” gives a lot of room for changes. Let’s hope they stay true to the source material.
If they do, this should be an interesting adaptation. “The Lesser Evil” in particular involves the fairy tale themes so prevalent in The Last Wish and reads like a grim, twisted spin on Snow White (while raising questions about whether there is truly such as thing as a “lesser evil) and shows how Geralt got the nickname the Butcher of Blaviken.
The movie is being directed by Tomasz Baginski and planned for a 2017 international release. While we remain cautiously optimistic, I recommend reading The Last Wish to see what these stories are all about.
Will the Witcher movie be a success or a failure? Will it stay true to the stories or veer off on its own path? Share your hopes and fears in the comments below.
