Fantasy reflects real world, not escapism

New Delhi: Writer-producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is not new to adaptations but 'The Witcher' gave her a chance to explore an entirely new world, which she says despite its fantasy setting, deals with reality.

It is for the first time Lauren dabbled into the genre after working on prestige drama projects such as 'The West Wing', 'Justice', 'Parenthood' and, comic adaptations in 'The Umbrella Academy' and 'The Defenders'.

The showrunner said she instantly fell in love with the characters that Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski has created as they are closer to real people though they move through a world dominated by magic and monsters.

"I was comfortable in the realm of adaptations but what I was surprised the most about fantasy is that it isn't about escapism. It's about reflecting the real world. I fell in love with Geralt, Ciri and Yennifer. They're all loners, they don't feel like they fit in. That's something I could relate to," Lauren told in an interview.

"The other fantasy aspects though, they were so much fun because I had never written monster fights or people learning to use magic for the first time. Those were brand new to me as a writer," she added.

Set in a medieval world known as The Continent, 'The Witcher' follows the story of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and princess Ciri

(Freya Allan), whose destinies are tied together.