Netflix released the first set of photos for the cast in makeup and wardrobe for the upcoming The Witcher series, but the show it’s nowhere near as captivating or as authentic as it could have been due to casting, specifically with Yennefer.
The tweets with the photos were part of a short chain on the Netflix Twitter account that went up on July 1st, 2019. They feature Henry Cavill as Geralt, who looks pretty cool. I personally would have gone with Mads Mikkelsen, but Cavill looks extra thick as Geralt, like he could crush skulls and batter brains, which is very important when portraying a badass monster hunter.
It begins: @witchernetflix pic.twitter.com/B9ctKEefMx
— See What’s Next (@seewhatsnext) July 1, 2019
The biggest issue with Geralt in the photo had nothing to do with Cavill, though. A lot of people were asking about his second sword, but others responded saying that he typically keeps his monster-hunting sword strapped to Roach, his horse, rather than carrying it on his back.
Freya Allan also looks right proper as Ciri, for whom Geralt is her surrogate father. She fits in well enough with the atmosphere and themes, and at least the casting for her stayed true to the character’s depiction in the games.
Get your first look at Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Cholatra), and Ciri (Freya Allan) in #TheWitcher pic.twitter.com/2l0R2vgBZt
— See What’s Next (@seewhatsnext) July 1, 2019
However, things completely fall apart with Yennefer.
Anya Chalotra dons the role as the raven-haired beauty but looks nothing like the Yennefer many people know and love.
It’s pretty obvious what the differences are.
Anya *Chalotra* plays Yennefer — as an apology for the early morning typo, here are some more photos of #TheWitcher stars! pic.twitter.com/gCpQV4RmmN
— See What’s Next (@seewhatsnext) July 1, 2019
There are Centrists™ who are probably thinking, “Well, it’s not that bad… she at least has black hair!”
However, I should readily point out to you the visual differences between the two with a comparison of Yennefer from The Witcher 3 and Chalotra from Netflix’s abomination.
Even some of the people in Netflix’s thread had to point out how Chalotra looks nothing like Yennefer.
There’s also a compilation of other actresses who would have fit the role in a much more authentic way than the olive skinned thespian.
Femtokun has a couple of notable Hollywood starlets in the collage, including Eva Green, who I believe would have perfectly encapsulated Yennefer’s mature and seductive qualities. Meanwhile Kate Beckinsale would have been a dead ringer for embodying the inescapable beauty that Yennefer possesses.
— femtokun (@Femtokun) July 1, 2019
Instead, we have Netflix’s agenda getting in the way of visually representing The Witcher the way fans have become accustomed.
I can already imagine Henry Cavill working overtime to try to salvage this mess, but we knew from the start that this production was compromised when they originally attempted to cast a black, Asian, or Middle-Eastern Ciri. The pushback from the community was loud and very vocal, so much so that they stepped away from that horrible idea. They cast Freya Allen for Ciri instead. However, that casting choice came with a consequence: Fringilla, Yennefer, and Triss were all race-swapped.
Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich made it her mission to ruin The Witcher on Netflix with as anger-inducing diversity casting as possible, purposely putting controversial actors in roles they had no business playing. This included Mimi Ndiweni playing Fringilla, as well as Anna Shaffer taking on the role of Triss Merigold.
— Batman Петрович (@batman_rus54) July 2, 2019
We also see that Anya Chalotra is donning the locks of Yennefer, but looks nothing like her.
Essentially, not one of the leading females other than Ciri has been properly cast.
If Netflix’s goal was to ruin the series before it even aired, they did a fantastic job of that.
Real fans of The Witcher will likely just have to handwave it away this point because it’s likely going to turn out like Netflix’s other abomination, Death Note.
(Thanks for the news tip Grandmastershadow)
