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To the Big Screen January 10, 2019 No comments

The Witcher Netflix 2019

The Witcher universe keeps getting bigger. The story, written by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski is gradually becoming a media phenomenon. And this is only the beginning. In 2017 Netflix announced The Witcher was having an eight-episode tv show on their platform. An upcoming show which will undoubtedly increase the popularity of this saga even more.

First came the video games, the action role-playing video games developed by CD Projekt Red which incredibly raised this series popularity. More specifically, it was the third game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. By the way, if you played the video games only, you might want to consider reading the books then see The Witcher reading order. This game had such commercial success and critical acclaim it made the Witcher books being translated into multiple languages.

Just so you can understand the impact better, the books were already popular in Poland and Russia for example. Meanwhile, there was not even an official English translation for the entire series. This, of course, changed after the video games success, now you can find all the books in English.

Therefore, it is fair to say that the video games helped immensely in increasing the popularity of this saga and also boosting the sales. As a result, The Witcher caught the attention of Netflix.

The Witcher Netflix release date

Despite being announced in 2017, the official release date is 2019, as you can see in the official Webpage. Meaning, we are getting close! Unfortunately, there is no specific date, not even a month. But, it is said (unofficially), that release date will be by the end of the year.

The Witcher trailer

Netflix released a teaser trailer showing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia:

Not much revealing, how do you feel about this trailer? fits your expectations?

Update:

Netflix uploaded another trailer and it looks way better than the previous one:

Not only Heny Cavill is way more better characterized and therefore is a more convincing Geralt of Rivia. Also we finally can see how the story will go.

It is confirmed that The Witcher Netflix will follow the books and not the videogames developed by CD Projekt red, as a result there will be some differences. One of the most notorious differences for the gamers will be the fact that Geralt only carries a sword on his back, a fact that also happens in the books while in the videogames he always carries both swords on his back.

Casting

There are already a lot of confirmations in the cast list. The main character, Geralt of Rivia, will be featured by Henry Cavill, an actor you probably already know since he is (or at least was until recently) the portrayal of Superman.

The cast also includes Freya Allan as Ciri and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, actresses whose names are not as big compared to Cavill. Other characters are already cast, which you can see here.

Here is the official cast:

Stop looking, they are not in that image 😉. Jaskier (Dandelion) and Triss Merigold will be featured by Joey Batey and Anna Shaffer respectively:

Joey Batey

Anna Shaffer

Plot

Regarding the plot, there is not much revealed yet, only the brief summary (almost a description) posted on the official Webpage:

“The witcher Geralt, a mutated monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts”

But we already knew this right? Other sources don’t reveal much more, seems like they want to keep it as secret as possible.

There is a leaked script though, about two Yennefer scenes. Which you can see here

Despite this, the executive producer and showrunner of The Witcher Netflix, Lauren S. Hissrich, confirmed that these scenes were for the casting process only.

For those concerned about the tv series adaptation, you will be glad to know that Andrzej Sapkowski is working on the Netflix adaptation as a creative consultant. This is a way to ensure that the usual elisions, inventive adaptations or character, which happen in every book adaptation, have at least the approval of the writer.

Seems like we won’t have to wait much more, if you didn’t read the books yet: Start now!

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To the Big Screen December 22, 2018 No comments

Mortal Engines book to movie

The cinematographic adaptation of the Mortal Engines saga by Philip Reeve is now a reality. In this case, the first film is based on the first novel. There is still a lot of story to tell, as there are still three books that will surely make reference in the next movies.

The actress Hera Hilmar and the actor Robert Sheehan, will carry out the role of protagonists in this novel of steampunk thematic. If you still don’t know the plot of the series, you have to know that Mortal Engines is set in a post-apocalyptic universe and it’s part of the fantastic and adventure genre. The film tells the story of how two of the main characters end up crossing their paths in a ruthless world. A dangerous fugitive, played by Hera, and a surviving orphan, Robert Sheeran, are two young people quite opposed in terms of ideas but the circumstances of the moment and the desire to survive in a hostile environment, where cities have literally become predators, make them join forces to change the future.

Book-to-film adaptation

One of the main responsible for this book series adaptation to the world of cinema is one of its producers, Peter Jackson. The well-known film director is a great fan of the saga and wanted to bring his own version to the big screen. You might have noticed I refer this movie as a version, this is because the film is not entirely faithful to the saga. Not in plot terms, which it tries to maintain the same essence, but it has some changes that for the most demanding readers will not go unnoticed.

To begin with, the main characters are older than in the books. While in the novel they were young teenagers, in the cinema, we have somewhat older actors. In this way, the novel also grows in terms of maturity is concerned. Despite maintaining the same plot, you do notice the darkest atmosphere. Having said this, it is obvious that the movies are aimed at a much more adult audience than the books.

Just for a better understanding, in 2002 this saga won The Gold award in Nestlé Children’s Book Prize (set of annual awards for British children’s books that ran from 1985 to 2007 according to Wikipedia) in nine to eleven years old category. So yes, this book audience was originally for young teenagers, while the movies will be addressed to a more adult audience.

The success of Mortal Engines

Taking Mortal Engines to the cinema is not an easy feat. This saga has so many awards that have made it one of the best in terms of children’s fiction novels, a lot of responsibility for the director and the producers.

Knowing how to convey all the magic that has made it worthy of these awards to, as we have said, a more adult world, is a rather complicated task that has turned Mortal Engines into a film with many expectations.

At the moment the producers are cautious about new releases. Depending on the success of this first film, they will make future decisions for the development and adaptation of the saga. Time will tell, but having Peter Jackson involved in this project is the key for sure.

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