Fans of the popular video game series "The Witcher" will be pleased to know that the game will be turned into a movie, set for a 2017 release.
According to Screen Rant, Sean Daniel Company, the maker of the hit Hollywood franchise "The Mummy," has partnered with Platige Films to make the movie adaptation possible. Platige Films is the company behind "The Witcher" games' cinematics.
In its press release, Platige Films named Oscar-nominated Tomasz Bagiński as director, with acclaimed Hollywood scriptwriter Thania St. John ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Chicago Fire") writing the screenplay.
"The film will be an introduction to the Witcher's world and is planned to be the beginning of a series," the press release stated. The statement did not include any actors.
"The Witcher" games follow the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, a mercenary witcher who has magical powers and skills that make him the best monster hunter in his world. The games are based on the 1986 short stories and books written by Andrez Sapkowski of the same title. According to the press release, the movie will be based on the novels and not the game, but will still feature Geralt as its main character.
Interestingly, this will not be the first attempt of a "Witcher" movie. In 2001, a Polish film entitled "Hexer" was released, and a TV series also followed. However, these were not picked up by the games' cult following.
Now, with new Hollywood backing and a trend of video games being turned into movies, the producers are hoping for a better reception for the 2017 movie.
According to GameSpot, the latest game "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," released last May, has already sold more than 6 million copies. The game's creators, CD Projekt RED, is not involved with the movie project.
