An Oscar nominated director and animator named Tomasz Baginski has confirmed that he is working on a film based on the Witcher fantasy novels and games.
A note appeared on the website of the Polish Film Institute, this information was then confirmed via Platige Image Studio (the studio of which Baginski is the creative director of) on Facebook.
The film will involve actors, but no information has yet been given as to how much of the project will be animated.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Witcher fantasy novels and games, they follow the story of Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher with superhuman abilities due to mutation via potions. Witchers are monster slayers, who travel the world ridding towns of unwanted supernatural beings.
Baginski is no stranger to animation and to the Witcher series, his animated short film The Cathedral was nominated for an Oscar in 2003, he also created the introductory videos for both the Witcher 1 and Witcher 2 (if you haven’t seen the Witcher 2 intro, it’s absolutely phenomenal, check it out here).
There was another mini-series following the Witcher, called Hexer, although it’s widely regarded as being utter rubbish. Here’s hoping that Baginski’s film will not follow suit.
Actor wise, who would you like to play the famed Geralt of Rivia? Me personally I think Viggo Mortensen would fit the roll perfectly. Calm, collected demeanor, and no stranger to a sword.
However, how much money does Platige Image actually have? Will it be enough to hire big budget actors? Or will the majority of the work be down to Baginski’s famous animation?
Not much information has been given apart from what I’ve said so far, but this is exciting news. The Witcher series has such a fantastic storyline, in a world ripe with corruption, racism and politics, and a monster slayer! It’s the perfect series to be adapted for a film. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
