X-MEN '97 Showrunner Reveals Negative Experience On THE WITCHER That Changed His Approach To The Show

X-MEN '97 Showrunner Reveals Negative Experience On THE WITCHER That Changed His Approach To The Show

X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has revealed that his fellow writers on The Witcher actively mocked the books and games, prompting him to change his approach to working on the upcoming animated series.

News
By JoshWilding - Oct 27, 2022 04:10 AM EST
Filed Under: X-Men '97
Source: SFFGazette.com

The Witcher has been mostly well-received by fans and critics, though the Netflix series definitely isn't without its issues. The first season was deemed too convoluted and confusing, while the second was more filler than killer. 

Still, there remains a lot of excitement for the upcoming third batch of episodes, not to mention The Witcher: Blood Origin spinoff series that's set to premiere this December. 

Moon Knight scribe Beau DeMayo previously served as one of the main writers on the show, and shared some surprising comments during a recent Instagram Q&A. Discussing his work on Marvel Studios' X-Men '97 animated series, he explained why he only wanted fans of X-Men: The Animated Series on board when assembling his writers room. 

"Marvel's head of streaming asked me to develop a take to revive this show," he recalls (via SFFGazette.com). "From there I pitched it out, [and] was hired...My general rule was you HAD to be a fan. No questions."

"I've been on [a] show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material.) It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it."

"You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy," DeMayo concluded.

It's worth noting that The Witcher showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has previously said she intentionally avoided hiring those who were too familiar with the books and games. That approach doesn't seem to have paid off as much as she may have hoped so far, and there are many elements of the show that have been criticised for the way certain characters and moments are handled.

While time will tell what the future holds in store for The Witcher franchise on Netflix (the streamer certainly appears committed to it), we're sure X-Men fans will be very pleased by what DeMayo has planned for that upcoming sequel series. 

Let us know your thoughts on The Witcher in the comments section, and stay tuned to SFFGazette.com for updates.

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CyberNigerian
CyberNigerian - 10/27/2022, 4:34 AM
I like this viewpoint.
The1st
The1st - 10/27/2022, 2:35 PM
@CyberNigerian -

"I've been on [a] show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material.) It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it."

"You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."



Finally someone says it, because it apparently needed to be said.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 10/27/2022, 4:36 AM
So we’ve got non fans who actively mock the source material working in The Witcher. No wonder Cavill eager to come back to Metropolis.
BigPhilbowski
BigPhilbowski - 10/27/2022, 6:54 AM
@PlusUltra - just like the fake "fans" crying outrage over them not following the source material of the books and games.
tmp3
tmp3 - 10/27/2022, 4:38 AM
what's his excuse for moon knight then lol
FinnishDude
FinnishDude - 10/27/2022, 4:45 AM
On the one hand, yes, you probably shouldn't actively dislike the material you are working with, but I'm not sure you have to be an outright fanboy either.

Kubrick clearly wasn't a Stephen King fan, yet The Shining is arguably to this day the best movie based on his books. Nicholas Meyer hadn't seen a single episode of Star Trek, when hired to write and direct Wrath of Khan, and allegedly even outright ignored every piece of advice given to him by Gene Roddenberry, yet it's easily the best Trek movie and a sci-fi classic in general. Russo brothers have admitted that they used to think that Captain America was lame, but The Winter Soldier is still one of the best movies of the whole MCU.
FearTheLiving
FearTheLiving - 10/27/2022, 5:13 AM
"You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy"

I wish more people had this view.
GetsugaTensho22
GetsugaTensho22 - 10/27/2022, 5:54 AM
I don’t fully agree with his viewpoint tbh.

There has to be a balance. One has to be enough of a fan to truly understand the spirit of a story/character/property, yet distanced enough to not be a slave to it.

On one extreme, you’ll end up with something unrecognisable. On the other, you’ll end up with something so focused on adapting every minute detail that doesn’t work for the medium it’s in, that it falls apart.
MochaKing
MochaKing - 10/27/2022, 8:48 AM
@GetsugaTensho22 - That's fine. But he mentioned he had problem with ones that mocks and disrespects the source in the writers room. Whether you like to follow or not follow source is one's choice. But to disrespect is kind of weird thing to do. You can be critical but not disrespectful
Orphix
Orphix - 10/27/2022, 6:14 AM
I don't think being a 'newbie' to the material should be an issue - even as a writer - as long as you have a great story to tell. To actively dislike the material, however, I can see as being problematic. I imagine you would be trying to 'fix' the source material rather than respecting it.
BigPhilbowski
BigPhilbowski - 10/27/2022, 6:53 AM
Bit of a nothing article. Criticising poeple for not sticking to the books and games makes you come across as stupid. The games didn't stick to the source material and made massive changes to characters from the book. Zero backlash over that though. So it's impossible to stick to the source material of both the books and the games. If this was made by another studio it wouldn't have gotten half of the criticism. Nothing but a bunch of salty fans of the game whining online.
BGarlz92
BGarlz92 - 10/27/2022, 8:03 AM
This guy gets it, certainly makes me feel a lot better about the revival.
Cyclonus
Cyclonus - 10/27/2022, 8:59 AM
I like the viewpoint that the writers need to be a fan of the genre and know something about it and respect the source material and also don't make the characters into how you think they should be. Alot of comicbook, fantasy, TV shows and movies writers nowadays are not even fans of these genres, they just know it is a popular genre and will take the job to make a buck and then change the genre of how they think it should be. Look at how the Star Wars movies have crumbled, the new LODR, and a few current shows and movies, I could go on and on with the list. Then when its unsuccessful they do the usual of blaming and dissing the true fans of that genre. Heck didn't the writer of Wanda vision state that she didn't even know who Mephisto was and didn't want Dr. Strange in the show because she didn't want a "white guy" coming to save the day? Just plain stupid and displays she knew very little about Wanda. I'm on pins and needles hoping they don't screw up the X-MEN 97 because it holds a sentimental value in my heart since I was huge fan when it debuted and was one of the things they got me into reading comics back in the early 90's. He said it best - respect the work and add to the legacy. I guess we will see.
RolandD
RolandD - 10/27/2022, 9:30 AM
Personally, if you have a group of writers working on it together, it might be beneficial to have a mix of the two poles. That said, if I was the show runner, would clear out anyone who is mocking the project or the source material. Good natured jokes might be fine, but not if they were just hating on it.
Spoken
Spoken - 10/27/2022, 9:59 AM
God I really can't stand pretentious writers like that. That actively join something with a big fanbase only to want to mock what came before. As if they are so high above than the actual material itself.

Not a huge fan of The Witcher to be honest both with games and shows but just hate those type of writers.

Props to the showrunner to actually hiring people who care for the source material rather than degrade its best qualities.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 10/27/2022, 10:40 AM
''You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy''

I totally agree that there have to writers on a show with an understanding/respect/love of the source material. However, I don't mind there also being writers with no affilition to it either as they can bring an outside perspective to the table.

And in general, all fantasy is based on some sort of source material. There's always gonna be writers who like fantasy, but not the source material.
LeonNova
LeonNova - 2/23/2023, 7:39 AM
I completely agree with this take. It’s one thing to not be familiar with the source material, but to be someone who dislikes it and actively mocks it is wild. I understand how it might be beneficial to have someone unbiased or unmarried to any particular ideas from the source material though. I think TLOU is the perfect example of an adaptation that isn’t afraid to deviate from the source material where it makes sense to, but you can still feel a deep level of respect for that material in there.
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