I always had a concern when it came to the upcoming fantasy shows. As much as I love fantasy, I worried that Game of Thrones only succeeded with mainstream audiences because of how little it had in the way of magic. With all the other shows in the pipeline, they tend to have much more than George R.R. Martin did. So would a show with emphasis on magic actually work with most audiences?

I was impressed when I saw The Witcher trailer and how much they actually showed off Geralt using magic to blow people back, among other aspects. I saw this as a sign that they weren’t pulling any punches when it comes to the more magical side of things. However, The Witcher’s visual effects supervisor Julian Parry seems to disagree.

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“I definitely think it leans more towards horror,” Parry told SFX Magazine. “We’re definitely taking the fantasy out. I can honestly say we’re not fantastical. I mean, it’s fantastical but in a grounded horror sense. For example, with Striga [a woman cursed to live as a monster], that’s one gnarly-looking thing. That’s very unpleasant!”

Okay, so I think his comment is worth digging into. When it comes to the whole “taking the fantasy out” line, I don’t think he means they’re literally pulling back on those fantasy elements. Instead, I think he’s hinting at the fact that they will feel more grounded and in the world, as opposed to maybe something more fantastical like, say, Harry Potter.

It’s a bit of a careless line, and one I wonder diehard Witcher fans may take issue with, but so long as they manage to keep to the spirit of the books, I think, they’ll be fine. How do you read Parry’s comments? Are you as optimistic as I am? 

Let us know your thoughts down below!

The Witcher hits Netflix on December 20, 2019!

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SOURCE: SFX Magazine (via Games Radar)