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Netflix to produce The Witcher tv series

#21 User is offline   Morgoth 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 08:47 AM

I'm mixed on this whole thing. Nilfgard or whatever they're called always seemed like a Germanic empire putting the boot to a number of slavic city states. Which, considering the cultural and historical foundation of the Witcher (Polish and all), and that Ciri is the daughter of the Germanic emperor, well I understand why it can feel a little weird casting her as anything other than white. At the same time it also feels weird to me that it's important to people. The Germanic inspired empire could just as well be Arabic in appearance of whatever, and still be the exact same empire. The emperor and Ciri and their entire family could be midnight black and it wouldn't change a thing. More than anything this all seem like the typical american white fragility. It would be weird casting Caesar as black. It shouldn't cause distress to cast the fantasy version of Caesar as black.

It's like the whole Thor movie kerflufle with Idris Elba being cast as Heimdal. If a movie was made about the actual, Norse characters as presented in Snorre and Hedda then sure, yes, it would be a little jarring. But in the Marvel, space elf version? The reactions were all american, here in Norway it didn't even garner media attention.


Some will of course try to compare this to reactions of whitewashing from black folk and such, but that to me is to be willfully obtuse. Very few shows and movies have black or asian leads. Very few lighthouses of popular culture do. So when a story is adopted for the screen and that story has a minority main character then yes, members of those minorities are going to be upset, and for good reason.
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#22 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 09:37 AM

I'm of the opinion of who gives a fuck. If it's good TV then we're happy.

It seems odd to wilfully request someone BAME rather than just throw open casting to one and all and just pick the best actress to hell with their appearance.
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#23 User is offline   Cause 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 09:59 AM

I don't think its necessarily just white fragility. Its not a big deal for sure but if I watched a movie about a fantasy empire based off of imperial japan with an emperor, a shogun, samurai, katanas and rice but everyone in the film was black Id have a kind of mental itch where every time I saw it I'd be this looks familiar but not quite right.

Actually I didn't have it in mind when I started writing this but I just remembered the last knight with Morgan freeman and clive owen. (htps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Knights) Its a bad movie that is actually quite a good movie if you know what I mean. Its the story of the 47 Ronin, yet it has whites, blacks and Asians in it. All part of some fantasy empire based off or japan but in which racism does not exist. Racism is just not part of the story. I don't think the movie is even tryin to make a message about racism. But the emperor is Iranian, the daimyo is black, the lead character is white and the knights are from every nationality in existence. I kinda got the impression that they just hired whoever they could at the best rates and that maybe a few people knew a few people. Cause honestly I have no idea how they got Morgan freeman in it.

Anyway the point I'm trying to make (a bit longwindedly) is that though if your having fun you will eventually get over it and realise it does not matter their is a jarring moment when you kinda wonder WTF. If the witcher series is going to have a very diverse cast throughout then I think great. If the only black actress in the whole show is going to be Ciri she will stand out all the more as being unusual forcing the question why.

You mention Idris as Heimdal and I got to say I love the actor and the fact that he is a black asgardian is something that looks strange the frist time you see it and then you get over it. However I cant think of a single other black asgardian in the whole film franchise. They should have made an effort to slip in more black extras in Asgard scences. Their is the one Asian hero of three but then we learn he is from vanaheim. So did they cast Idris because he was the best at the casting call or did someone during production just say 'hey we need a black actor to break up all this white in Asgard, it does not look good'.
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#24 User is offline   Morgoth 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 10:29 AM

Considering the current climate in the US it would make sense from a business perspective to reach out for a diverse cast. From what I gather though, the author of the books is a member of the creative team for the series and part of the casting process, so he seems to be fine with the idea.
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#25 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 11:09 AM

He has (afaik) openly said he has no problem with it or any casting decisions. If it's good enough for the creator it surely should be good enough for the fans
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#26 User is offline   acesn8s 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 12:04 PM

View PostMalankazooie, on 04 September 2018 - 09:14 PM, said:

I don't like it. Nothing against Cavill as an actor, but he's not right for the Geralt role, imo. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.


I thought Jim Caviezel would be a great Geralt. He would nail the grizzled look and the voice.
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#27 User is offline   TheRetiredBridgeburner 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 12:28 PM

View PostMacros, on 13 September 2018 - 11:09 AM, said:

He has (afaik) openly said he has no problem with it or any casting decisions. If it's good enough for the creator it surely should be good enough for the fans


To me, that should be the end of it. Something tells me it won't be though - if there's one thing people love it's Twitter "outrage".

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 13 September 2018 - 12:29 PM

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#28 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 01:22 PM

View PostMacros, on 13 September 2018 - 09:37 AM, said:

I'm of the opinion of who gives a fuck. If it's good TV then we're happy.



^^This is largely me as well.

I've been pleasantly surprised by casting against type of character in the past enough to now know that as long as the content is great, and the actor brings their A-Game. I'm cool with it.
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#29 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 01:37 PM

I think people are one of two things here (or both)
A - racist and trying to hide it behind purity of the script etc
B - some people just love being outraged. It's like a drug now, people need their outrage hit
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#30 User is offline   Primateus 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 01:46 PM

View PostTheRetiredBridgeburner, on 13 September 2018 - 12:28 PM, said:

View PostMacros, on 13 September 2018 - 11:09 AM, said:

He has (afaik) openly said he has no problem with it or any casting decisions. If it's good enough for the creator it surely should be good enough for the fans


To me, that should be the end of it. Something tells me it won't be though - if there's one thing people love it's Twitter "outrage".


Of course it's not the end of it. People are already claiming it's because he's contractually obligated to say he's okay with it, even though he totally isn't.
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#31 User is offline   TheRetiredBridgeburner 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 02:19 PM

Because people are allowed to have opinions AS LONG AS THEY AGREE WITH MY PERFECTLY FABRICATED MORAL OUTRAGE.

Did I get it about right? :no

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 13 September 2018 - 02:19 PM

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#32 User is offline   Malankazooie 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 03:47 PM

View Postacesn8s, on 13 September 2018 - 12:04 PM, said:

View PostMalankazooie, on 04 September 2018 - 09:14 PM, said:

I don't like it. Nothing against Cavill as an actor, but he's not right for the Geralt role, imo. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.


I thought Jim Caviezel would be a great Geralt. He would nail the grizzled look and the voice.

Agree.

Cavill on the other hand is built more like a spark-plug or fire hydrant (short, stubby and muscular). Whereas Geralt is more long of limb and lean (more suited to Caviezel's body type). I dunno, maybe they can fool us like they do with Super Man, but when I've seen him on talk shows, he definitely has Tom Cruise syndrome (of course, most actors do, so maybe it isn't even a thing).
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#33 User is offline   amphibian 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 04:18 PM

Cavill is 6'1". He's not sparkplug built, even if he's very muscular. Even in the Man from Uncle, next to the 6'5" Armie Hammer, he still looks pretty lean and athletic rather than muscle bound and immobile.
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#34 User is offline   Malankazooie 

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 05:01 PM

huh, did not know. Maybe it's the way they have him look for the Super Man roll? Seen him on various talk shows and he is demonstrably shorter then the hosts, so maybe some of that Hollywood exaggeration in regards to his measurements? He's got T-Rex arms for sure, those are obvious. Maybe he would lean down for the Geralt roll?
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#35 User is offline   Morgoth 

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 07:32 AM

I am now convinced you've never seen Henry Cavill in anything.
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#36 User is offline   D'rek 

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 01:44 PM

You're thinking of Henry Kissinger.

View Postworrywort, on 14 September 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:

I kinda love it when D'rek unleashes her nerd wrath, as I knew she would here. Sorry innocent bystanders, but someone's gotta be the kindling.
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#37 User is offline   Khellendros 

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 03:19 PM

I was meh about the casting of Henry Cavill as Geralt. I've never found him to be particularly good in anything I've watched him in, but never quite awful either. But apparently (so I've heard), he's a huge fan of the Witcher games and has previously made his desire to play Geralt known. So...I guess the passion for the role is there?
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#38 User is offline   RACHEL 

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Posted 10 October 2018 - 06:53 PM

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#39 User is offline   TheRetiredBridgeburner 

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Posted 11 October 2018 - 06:07 AM

So much for all that outrage about casting a non-white actress as Ciri then!
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#40 User is offline   QuickTidal 

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Posted 11 October 2018 - 06:14 PM

View PostRACHEL, on 10 October 2018 - 06:53 PM, said:



These are pretty solid choices. Freya especially seems to look the part of Ciri as she looks when she and Geralt are first working together when she's 13-14 (actress is 17 I believe), and Anya works for Yennefer as well, since she makes herself look about 20 in the books, and the actress is 22. Hopefully they play off Cavill well (who, by the way I like a lot for Geralt)

I know her part will be minimal, but I still kind of hope they cast and utilize Triss. She's not been in the glut of recent actor announcements though, so perhaps not.
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