The Witcher is currently Netflix’s highest-rated original series, with audiences worldwide enjoying the adaptation of the classic fantasy novels. But while the TV show draws heavy inspiration from Andrzej Sapkowski’s original books, most audiences will be far more familiar with CD Projekt Red’s hit video game adaptations. Most specifically, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
The show takes clear visual inspiration from the game and anyone that’s played it won’t fail to miss a big reference to the opening moments of it in the Netflix series. This comes when Geralt is seen having a relaxing time in a big bathtub – almost exactly matching his extremely chilled out introduction in The Witcher 3. And now, showrunner Lauren Hissrich has explained in an interview with Collider why they felt it was important to get Geralt in that bath:
“Obviously, we are not adapting the video games. The video games are an adaption of the books too, so they are pulling from the same source material we are. But I also know, being an American myself, that a lot of [people], especially American audiences, are mostly familiar with the games. They did not even know the books existed. So they are part of our fanbase and it’s just a little wink and a nod to them to tell them that we see them, too.”
Mission: accomplished. And as those who’ve seen it will know, we actually got two bathtub scenes.
Of course, Netflix had been positioning The Witcher as a way to hoover up any Game of Thrones fans suffering fantasy politics withdrawal symptoms and given the show’s reception, it looks like they’ve succeeded. A second season is already confirmed and we’re even hearing that Netflix has already greenlit a third, too. While that’s great news for the series, it probably also means that Henry Cavill is absolutely done with Superman, as filming this will give him little time to go get back into the cape.
Given the quality of The Witcher though, maybe that’s for the best. Personally, I can’t wait for season 2 and I hope that the truly incredible fan casting of Mark Hamill as older Witcher Vesemir comes to pass.