The Witcher Author Says His Books Outshine Every Live-Action Adaptation, Netflix Included

Andrzej Sapkowski does not do the polite dance when it comes to adaptations of his work. The Witcher creator has always been fiercely protective of his books, and he just doubled down on that stance during a Reddit AMA, laying out a blunt, very Sapkowski take on books vs. live-action.

Sapkowski draws a hard line between books and screen

Asked about the eternal books vs. adaptations debate, Sapkowski basically said the quiet part out loud: the novel is one thing, any adaptation is another thing, and the two do not overlap. In his view, trying to turn prose into moving images will always shed something along the way, so there is no real point of connection between the original and whatever ends up on screen.

If that sounds harsh, he goes even further. He calls adaptations mostly visualizations and argues that prose is inherently more powerful than images. Call it old-school, call it refreshing, it is very on brand for an author who has never shied away from ruffling feathers on the divisive Netflix series.

"The written word always and decidedly triumphs over images, and no picture, animated or otherwise, can match the power of the written word."

Translation to plain English: he is not weighing in on whether a show or movie is good or bad. He is saying the book is its own sovereign thing, the adaptation is its own sovereign thing, and neither should be treated as canon for the other. Inside baseball, but important if you are wondering how he feels about changes the Netflix series has made.

Where the Witcher franchise is right now

• Sapkowski's saga about Geralt, a wandering monster hunter, spans multiple novels and short stories. The main novel cycle kicked off with 1994's Blood of Elves.
• The brand has grown into a video game trilogy and multiple screen projects, including Netflix's series that has sparked plenty of debate.
• On the Netflix side: Henry Cavill exited after season 3, and Liam Hemsworth takes over as Geralt in season 4.
• On the gaming side: a new Witcher entry, commonly referred to as The Witcher 4, is in development.

So yes, there is a whole Witcher ecosystem out there. Just do not expect Sapkowski to treat any of it as an extension of the books. In his mind, the novels stand on their own island, and everything else can wave from the mainland.