'The Witcher' showrunner says Netflix series won't surpass the books

Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher has an expiration date, according to showrunner and executive producer, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. Speaking with The Wrap about the future of the hit fantasy series, she admitted that there is a definite end goal in mind, but it all depends on Witcher prose writer, Andrzej Sapkowski.

"I have always said that I want to end our stories at the same place that Andrzej Sapkowski ended his,” Schmidt Hissrich said. “I just don’t feel the need for us to keep creating stories after his intentional end. The funny thing is, of course, since we have been working on the series, he’s actually released two new books. We’re trying to be a little flexible with it."

As of this writing, there are five Witcher novels (Blood of Elves, The Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows, and The Lady of the Lake), two short stories collections (The Last Wish and Sword of Destinty), and a "sidequel" (Season of Storms). So far, the plan has been to adapt one book for each season, which, as TheWrap astutely points out, implies a total of five seasons, with Time of Contempt stepping up to the plate next.

"That actually to me is a very easily adaptable book," the showrunner explained. "There’s tons of action, there’s tons of things that are just jaw dropping when you get to them. So we’re really letting that lead our storytelling. Season 3, for instance takes place on a very, very small timeline. Not a lot of time passes, because it doesn’t need to."

A third season of The Witcher was officially green-lit back in September, though it'll probably be awhile before audiences can reconnect with Geralt, Ciri, and the rest of the Continent crew. In the meantime, however, viewers can look forward to the Blood Origin prequel miniseries and a family-friendly spinoff that is still untitled.

“I’ve always said that I will write the show as long as there is an interest in the show," Schmidt Hissrich concluded. "Right now, that interest seems to be great. But some of that also is through some of the additional universe that we’re expanding. So through the anime films, or through the spinoff that just finished production, those are ways for us to continue telling Sapkowski’s stories without taking the attention away from the main storytelling of the mothership."

The first two seasons of the main show and an anime prequel, Nightmare of the Wolf (a film centered around a young Vesemir), are now available to stream on Netflix.