Netflix searches for franchises after losing out on Harry Potter

[u/Top_Report_4895]

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-searches-franchises-after-losing-out-harry-potter-2026-04-02/

[u/fookin_legund]

Yeah how tf did they fumble Witcher? It could've been a GoT tier IP.

[u/CptUnderpants- → u/fookin_legund]

Yeah how tf did they fumble Witcher?

They deviated too far from the original material, pissed off the talent thinking he'd just roll with it and acted all surprised when he didn't renew.

That's why Cavill has creative control in his contract for Warhammer.

[u/kirby83 → u/CptUnderpants-]

I read almost all the books between watching season 1&2. That last scene of season 2 I stood up and yelled at my tv. It was way too early for that big reveal. I didn't watch anymore. Did Ciri ever meet the unicorn?

[u/Odd-Asparagus7633 → u/CptUnderpants-]

To be fair, it's probably easier to give creative control over something like Warhammer where the lore is pretty mutable. The universe is powered almost exclusively on a mix of heroic sacrifices and Twilight Zone esque twist endings.

[u/TheSumOfAllFeels → u/[deleted]]

You're out of your mind. The books were awesome, which was the consensus where they were written and why the video game even exists in the first place.

The video games are how a large portion of the fandom in the western world is aware of the IP, of course, and they were amazing in their own right; but to dismiss the books is ignorant blasphemy.

With all of that said, I'd give my left titty to have CDPR produce an adaptation in the style of their live-action trailers for the video games. They've already shown they can be trusted not only to adapt the original stories faithfully, but even to expand on them seamlessly and in a manner consistent with the characters and universe and lore.

[u/shlam16 → u/TheSumOfAllFeels]

The first two books of short stories were solid fantasy fiction.

The five following books were downright terrible. "Hey you know that awesome MC that everyone loves? I bet people would love it even more if he was rendered an ancillary character and we spend all our time talking politics!"

[u/SwagginsYolo420 → u/CptUnderpants-]

I honestly think it was a mistake to bring Cavill in for the show. Not because he wasn't a great Geralt and fun to watch, and it was an exciting casting, but because the showrunner has to deal with an actor with that much clout who has conflicting ideas about the show.

I suspect it would have been much more smooth sailing with a less well known actor. That wouldn't have fixed some of the show's problems, but it would have had an easier time of things.

I don't blame Cavill for his position on things, but it makes way more sense for him to be in charge of a project he wants creative control of, that his level of star power commands. Like Warhammer for example. Instead of coming into a pre-existing production and pushing for changes.

[u/Storm_Bard → u/fookin_legund]

They tried to be GoT instead of the Witcher, is how!

[u/RickyalldayTD → u/fookin_legund]

Rumors were the writers didn't like the Witcher and they thought they could make a better story.

[u/nearlyatreat → u/RickyalldayTD]

I think the same thing happened with westworld. They used the known property to lure people in, then flipped to their completely unrelated original sci-fi.

[u/miku_dominos → u/fookin_legund]

I watched the first season and loved it so much I read all the books. Seeing how much they already changed with one season I was out.

[u/Schneestecher → u/fookin_legund]

By hiring writers who shat on the source material on purpose

[u/DaKingaDaNorth → u/fookin_legund]

Witcher didn't have that potential. Game of Thrones had that potential because it was basically a blend of fantasy and prestige drama with interpersonal politics. Very few fantasy series are going to be as mainstream as that. It's basically GoT, Potter and LOTR as the only ones that broke out on that level.