The Witcher: Monsters And Men
SFX|December 2019
FOLLOWING ON FROM THE HUGELY POPULAR BOOKS AND VIDEOGAMES, THE WITCHER IS FINALLY BEING BROUGHT TO TV. SFX VISITS THE SET TO FIND OUT IF IT’LL BECOME THIS YEAR’S MUST-SEE FANTASY SHOW
James Mottram
The Witcher: Monsters And Men

CLOSE TO THE Hungarian town of Baj, some 70km from Budapest, Henry Cavill is standing in a huge dome-like cavern. Usually it’s a wine cellar; today it’s been remodelled for one of the many sets for The Witcher, the new fantasy show from Netflix based on the hugely popular book series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Cavill, famed for playing Superman in the recent DC Comics movies, takes the lead, as Geralt of Rivia.

Currently, the team is working on episode seven – there are eight in total – amid what’s been an arduous seven-month shoot. In the middle of the room stands a giant well, with a beam of light shooting out from underneath. A cameraman follows Cavill, dressed in black leathers, with a sword on his back and long silver hair, as he prowls around the well. “That’s lovely, Henry,” says a voice from the gloom, as “cut” is called, and Cavill takes five.

Away from the set, showrunner Lauren Hissrich pitches up. A former writer on The West Wing, more recently she has worked on Marvel shows like Daredevil and The Defenders. “The world of The Witcher is really unique in that it takes this world of fantasy, adventure, fights, monsters, romance and witches... and yet Sapkowski thought it was really important to ground it in what was happening in the real world,” she says.

For the uninitiated, a Witcher is a beast-hunter – trained in deadly fighting skills and exposed to mutagens that grant them enhanced abilities, including the use of magic. This rarefied breed patrol The Continent, the unnamed setting for Sapkowski’s universe where elves, dwarves, humans and other creatures co-exist. “It’s really the European Lord Of The Rings, in a sense,” says Julian Parry, the show’s visual effects supervisor. Sapkowski, unsurprisingly, has been dubbed “the Polish Tolkien”.

この記事は SFX の December 2019 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は SFX の December 2019 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

SFXのその他の記事すべて表示
ANCER MAHAGEMENT
SFX UK

ANCER MAHAGEMENT

WITH A NEW TRILOGY IN SIGHT, WE SPEAK TO THE DIRECTOR OF 28 WEEKS LATER THE ORIGINAL CHILLING SEQUEL TO DANNY BOYLE'S SEMINAL SURVIVAL HORROR

time-read
5 分  |
November 2024
WHO YA CONNA CALL?
SFX UK

WHO YA CONNA CALL?

BEHIND THE SCENES AT HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS FOR GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
SFX UK

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

THE DEVIL'S HOUR STRIKES TWICE AS THE GENREDEFYING DRAMA RETURNS

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024
SCARRY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK
SFX UK

SCARRY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

FROM THE RETURN OF EC COMICS TO SCREAM!, THIS YEAR'S HALLOWEEN OFFERS UP HORROR COMICS FOR ALL THE AGES

time-read
9 分  |
November 2024
UNDEADS REFLECTIONS
SFX UK

UNDEADS REFLECTIONS

NEIL JORDAN ON BRINGING ANNE RICE'S MODERN VAMPIRE CLASSIC TO SCREEN, 30 YEARS ON

time-read
6 分  |
November 2024
MUNSTER MASH!
SFX UK

MUNSTER MASH!

PRODUCTION HELL, SHOCK RECASTING AND HOTLY CONTESTED AUTHORSHIP. AS THE MUNSTERS CELEBRATE THEIR 60TH ANNIVERSARY, WE UNCOVER HOW THE SPOOKY SITCOM WAS ALMOST DEAD ON ARRIVAL

time-read
10+ 分  |
November 2024
COMING TO AMERICA
SFX UK

COMING TO AMERICA

THE MOGWAI LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THEIR SECOND CHAPTER, GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH

time-read
3 分  |
November 2024
BEING HUMAN EVOLUTION
SFX UK

BEING HUMAN EVOLUTION

IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN INSTANT HIT, BUT BBC THREE'S DARKLY COMIC DRAMA ABOUT A HOUSE-SHARING VAMPIRE/WEREWOLF/GHOST TRIO HAD A STRANGE JOURNEY TO THE SCREEN, SERIES CREATOR TOBY WHITHOUSE TELLS SFX

time-read
5 分  |
November 2024
THE MAINE EVENT
SFX UK

THE MAINE EVENT

THE DARK IS RISING IN SALEM'S LOT AS STEPHEN KING'S DEATHLESS TALE RETURNS TO THE SCREEN

time-read
7 分  |
November 2024
WHY DON'T YOU STAY FOR A BITE?
SFX UK

WHY DON'T YOU STAY FOR A BITE?

THE VAMPIRE COMES HOME AS DIRECTOR EUROS LYN WELCOMES SFX TO HIS NEW DARK COMEDY THE RADLEYS

time-read
9 分  |
November 2024