"The Witcher" is a big (and somewhat unexpected (open in new tab)) hit for Netflix, and it does so while remaining reasonably faithful to the original story. However, according to writer/producer Bo Demayo, not everyone on the "The Witcher" writing team was keen to stick to the vision of "The Witcher's" original author, Anjay Sapskovsky.

DeMayo, who is the head writer on the X-Men animated project scheduled to debut in 2023, told "The Direct" (opens in new tab) that he was careful to recruit non-X-Men fans to the writing team.

"I've been on shows, especially The Witcher, where some of the writers are either not (fans) or actively dislike the books and games (actively mocking the original)," DeMayo said. 'This is a recipe for disaster and demoralization. Fandom as a litmus test, a check on egos, makes every long night worthwhile. The work must be respected before it is allowed to add to its legacy."

Demayo is credited as a screenwriter on two episodes of Netflix's The Witcher series and co-producer on two others (opens in new tab) and also co-produced and wrote The Witcher: The Story of Young Vesemir, an animated He also co-produced and wrote the screenplay for The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolves (opens in new tab), an adaptation of the story of young Vesemir. So he is clearly in a position to know what he is talking about, but it is still surprising to hear that the show's writers disregarded the original story. However, Netflix and its officials emphasized the show's devotion to Andrzej Sapkowski's short stories and novels.

For example, here's Henry Cavill lovingly reciting "The Last Wish":

Showrunner Lauren Hisrich also paid tribute to Sapkowski's work, telling IGN (open in new tab) ahead of the show's 2019 debut, "We're all big fans of the book We are."

"We're also all big fans of video games, but this is just based on the book and we draw inspiration from it.

Reaction to Demayo's revelations on social media has been mixed: some say it's great that "The Witcher" turned out so well despite the discord in the writers' room, while others say that the discord in the writers' room was a "big reason why explains why "The Witcher" failed to live up to its promise, he says. Others point out that a good screenwriter should be able to adapt and improve upon any inferior aspects of the original work, and that Sapkowski's original work is not to blame.

Also, enthusiasts can lose perspective on what actually works in an adaptation or spin-off, and consequently go off the deep end. Sometimes a little skepticism and pushback is necessary to keep things flowing. Frankly, the fact that a niche fantasy story by a largely unknown writer has been turned into mainstream entertainment speaks for itself. Whatever was going on in that writers' room, it worked pretty well. 17]

(I'm a little grumpy about the show's treatment of Eskel, not because I have any great attachment to Sapkowski's characterization, but because a drunken prank call to the Wizard of Novigrad (new Open in tab) because it means there won't be one)

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Interestingly, the success of The Witcher on Netflix actually sparked a growing interest in Sapkowski's novel (opens in new tab).