Netflix’sThe Witcherfranchise is kind of a mess right now. Season 3, released earlier this year, saw Henry Cavill say goodbye to the silver sword and white-haired wig, upsetting thousands of fans. The spin-off/prequel seriesBlood Originswas met with lackluster reviews from critics and fans, with both parties agreeing that it was an unnecessary backstory to an already lore-rich universe. Add to that the numerous changes to Andrzej Sapkowski’s source material, which had ired fans from the show’s premiere back in 2019, andThe Witcherfranchise has been far from theStranger Thingssuccess emulator that Netflix intended.
However, the next entry in the franchise, an animated movie titledThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, is making a major change in a much-needed attempt to rebuild the respect of long-time fans. As well as moving from live-action to Japanese-inspired animation – a move which worked remarkably well for the previous anime move in the franchise,Nightmare of the Wolf–Sirens of the Deepis making a major change to the appearance and voice ofGeralt of Rivia, and it’s heavily inspired by the video games.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep Brings Back Geralt’s Original Voice Actor
In an incredibly surprising but greatly welcomed move,The Witcher: Sirens of the Deepis bringing backGeralt’s most popular voice actor, Doug Cockle – who voiced Geralt in all three of CDProjektRed’s acclaimed video games – to lend his gruff tone to the character. In close contention with Peter Kenny, who voiced Geralt in the acclaimed audiobooks, Doug Cockle is often regarded as the definitive voice of Geralt of Rivia.
With a starring role inThe Witchergames, which skyrocketed the popularity of the franchise – especially in the case ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,which won numerous awards and accolades upon its release in 2015 – Cockle has become synonymous with the character for thousands of fans, with his signature, Americanized gravel tone still ranking as the best performance in the franchise’s history.
The news dropped at Netflix’s recent Geeked Week 2023, along with the first teaser for the animated film.The Witcher: Sirens of the Deepis adapted from the short story ‘A Little Sacrifice,’ found in the secondWitcherbook,Sword of Destiny, by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
The short story sees Geralt, with Jaskier (Dandelion) tagging along, contracted by a local lord to track down and return a mermaid he has fallen madly in love with. Considering thatSirens of the Deepis a feature-length animated film, the plot will likely be significantly expanded, with other popular characters from Netflix’s adaptation expected to be mixed in.
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Alongside Cockle returning to the character,Sirens of the Deepwill also see live-actionWitcherstars Anya Chalotra (Yennefer) and Joey Batey (Jaskier) lend their voices to their respective characters. Doug Cockle’s return to the character will make him the third of a scheduled four actors to voice Geralt in Netflix’s franchise.
Henry Cavill first took on the task when the franchise began in 2019 and quickly made the role his own, building an incredibly loyal fan base in the process. Harry Hisrich then voiced a young Geralt in the animatedNightmare of the Wolffilm. Now, Cockle is, figuratively, donning the two swords for the upcomingSirens of the Deep. The fourth comes by way of Liam Hemsworth, who is replacing Henry Cavill in future seasons of the live-action series afterCavill departed fromThe Witcherfor unannounced reasons.
While he is primarily known for his work as Geralt in all three of CDProjektRed’sWitchergames and theGwentspin-off game, Cockle has lent his voice to some of the most popular video game franchises. His first voice-acting role was in the cult-classic video gameRuneScapein 2001. Since then, Cockle has featured in hit franchises likeSmite,The Division,Alan Wake, andBaldur’s Gate.
Sirens of the Deep Is Connected to Netflix’s Witcher Franchise
The Witcher
Despite the change in voice actors and Geralt’s design being swapped for a look closely resembling his video-game counterpart,Sirens of the Deepis a part ofNetflix’sThe Witchertimeline. At Geeked Week, it was announced thatSirens of the Deepwill occur between Episodes 5 and 6 of the main show’s first season. This decision shocked many in the fan base, as it was expected that the animated film would be a standalone project, considering the drastic changes to Geralt.
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For those who haven’t re-watchedThe Witchersince Henry Cavill’s departurewas announced, Episode 5 saw Jaskier (Joey Batey) lose his voice as a result of a Djinn’s magic, leading to Geralt meeting Yennefer of Vengerberg and needing her help to save him. Episode 6 then took a sharp jump ahead a few years, as Geralt, Yennefer, and Jaskier were reunited on a hunt for the mythic Golden Dragon.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deepdoesn’t yet have a proper release date. However, the project has been scheduled for sometime in late 2024.
