Fans were shocked to learn that
Man of Steel's Henry Cavill would be taking on the lead role of Geralt of Rivia in the brand new Netflix adaptation of the book and game series -
The Witcher. Big name movie stars generally try to distance themselves from video game adaptations in media due to the fact that none of them have ever been worth watching - with the recent exception of
Detective Pikachu - but we're starting to suspect Ryan Reynolds can sell anything.
While the gaming and reading communities may be familiar with
The Witcher franchise from several of the releases in other media, not many people outside of that were familiar with the intellectual property before Netflix announced the adaptation and that it would feature someone who had starred in several of the highest grossing films from over the last decade -
Man of Steel, Batman Vs. Superman, Justice League, and
Mission Impossible: Fallout.
It comes as a surprise that a movie star with that kind of a resume would want to take on such an unknown role especially with a less than recognizable supporting cast to back him up - but it make sense when learning that Cavill is a fan of the game franchise. It makes even more sense when considering that Cavill has been trying to distance himself from the DCEU but it seems that even now that he is out of that franchise he still receives paparazzi attention that makes him unhappy.
“Every time I step out my front door, I’m hyper aware. Even if I’m not looking terrible, you still realise there are people taking sneaky photos of you, because that’s what people like to do. And then they put them on the internet and you see them on Instagram and you’re like, ‘Oh, my god.’ At home, I get to sit playing games for ridiculous amounts of hours and escape there, because going outside has the opposite effect.”
One of the games that Cavill has spent the most time playing is
The Witcher 3 interestingly enough, which should make fans of the series happy knowing that he did his homework. The actor opens up about his 250 hour playing experience in
The Witcher 3 during his two and a half playthroughs.
“My first involved experience [with the franchise] was The Witcher 3. It’s all well and good when you’re trying not to stress out, but then I realised I wasn’t chilling out. I just ended up dying at the wrong points and thinking, ‘I should not have left the roads. I don’t know why I left the roads.’ I couldn’t run away fast enough or my attention span dropped for a second or I answered a text and now I’m dead and that’s six or seven hours of gameplay that I’ve just messed up.”
Fans of
The Witcher franchise - both games and books alike - should be glad to know that Cavill takes staying true to the lore very seriously. As the biggest name involved with the project that should bode well for its future.
“I want to do it as true to the lore as possible. For me it was about bringing my love for the character to the show, as a fan – I want to protect it. It would’ve hurt my heart to hear there was a show that I didn’t jump on, [especially] if someone else had a unique and perhaps even brilliant interpretation of Geralt, but one not who I, as a fan, sees.”
If you haven't seen the trailer for Netflix's new
The Witcher series starring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, check it out below and let us know your thoughts on the actor's words in the comments!
You can't outrun destiny just because you're terrified of it. Henry Cavill is Geralt of Rivia.
The Witcher is now streaming on Netflix.