This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
At San Diego Comic Con, Netflix unveiled a full-length trailer for their upcoming fantasy series 'The Witcher', based on the popular books by Andrzej Sapkowski. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich revealed that 207 different actors were considered to play the lead role, Geralt of Rivia, before they finally settled on 'Man of Steel' star Henry Cavill.
According to Hissrich, Cavill made a strong first impression, and his voice stayed with her as she crafted her vision for the series and the character's story arc. Unfortunately, she didn't disclose who any of those other 207 actors were.
Henry Cavill himself has confessed that he was determined to land the role, even going so far as to annoy his agents with daily calls and meetings. 'I called them every day and said, 'Guys, now? Meeting now? How 'bout now?' And they eventually said, 'Look, they've brought on a showrunner, and we've called them, and they said, 'Look, we're not even close to that process yet,' and I kept on pushing, pushing, pushing, and eventually I think Netflix just got tired,' Cavill told Entertainment Tonight.
The first season of 'The Witcher' won't feature a traditional villain, Hissrich said. Instead, the show will explore the shades of grey in the books, where characters' allegiances can switch and empathy is key. 'There isn’t really a villain,' Hissrich explained. 'One of the things we’re enjoying exploring is all the shades of grey in the books. The characters you’re rooting for in the beginning may not be the characters you’re rooting for in the end.'
