Better Than Season 4? Why The Witcher’s New Adaptation Has Everyone Talking

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep comes out in 2025, and Netflix’s new adaptation looks even more promising than season 4. Netflix’s Witcher franchise currently consists of the main live-action series and two spinoffs: the animated film, Nightmare of the Wolf, and a one-season series dubbed The Witcher: Blood Origin. Another spinoff will join Netflix’s lineup in the near future, and unlike the previous two, it will follow Geralt of Rivia. The character will be voiced by Doug Cockle, who portrays him in The Witcher video games.

Amid Geralt’s Witcher season 4 recast, the notion of Cockle bringing the character to life is especially exciting. And the first look at Sirens of the Deep is promising. The trailer for Sirens of the Deep debuted during Netflix’s Geeked Week event, showing the conflict Geralt will face in the upcoming film. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s story “A Little Sacrifice,” Sirens of the Deep will thrust the Witcher into a confrontation between merpeople and humans. The execution promises to do the premise justice, and Netflix’s movie may even be more exciting than The Witcher season 4.

The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep’s Trailer Reception Has Been Widely Positive

The Animation & Geralt’s Voice Actor Are Getting Praise

The trailer for The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep isn’t all that long, but it shows a good mix of action and character moments — and it’s getting a lot of praise from the fan base. The comments beneath Netflix’s YouTube trailer are overwhelmingly positive, showcasing more excitement than the franchise has garnered in years. Many of them express enthusiasm for Cockle’s return as Geralt, but that’s not the only thing drawing praise. Sirens of the Deep‘s animation is also building anticipation for the 2025 release. Watch the trailer for The Witcher‘s 2025 film below:

Fans of Sapkowski’s books seem satisfied with the decision to adapt one of his short stories, too, and commenters noted that the film promises to dig deeper into the source material. All these elements of Sirens of the Deep make it one of the most exciting additions to The Witcher franchise — and Netflix’s fantasy lineup — in years. After The Witcher season 3’s decline in quality and Henry Cavill’s departure, it’s nice to feel hopeful about the franchise’s future again. However, it is somewhat disheartening that the 2025 film seems more promising than season 4.

Why The Witcher’s Animated Movies Have Been So Well Received Compared To The Show

The Animation Fits The World & The Storytelling Is Compact

Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is proving more exciting than season 4. After all, the franchise’s animated projects tend to be better received than its live-action series. Netflix’s Nightmare of the Wolf has an impressive 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s generally held in high esteem. Judging by the response to its trailer, Sirens of the Deep will follow in its footsteps. The stunning animation is certainly a selling point for both films, and it captures The Witcher‘s world better than the live-action shows do.

The fact that The Witcher‘s animated adaptations are movies also helps, as their runtimes make the storytelling much more compact. One of the complaints about the main Witcher TV show is that there are meandering subplots that start to feel dull or repetitive. This isn’t an issue with adaptations like Nightmare of the Wolf and Sirens of the Deep, as they tell more focused stories. This leaves little time for the narrative to get convoluted.

The animated projects don’t take as many liberties with Sapkowski’s source material either, which could be due to their limited runtimes — or just the creators’ preferences. By contrast, The Witcher seasons 2 and 3 have gotten a lot of flak for diverging from the books. This is inevitable with any adaptation, but it’s become a point of contention for The Witcher. Hopefully, it’s something the main series can turn around in season 4, which can learn from Netflix’s animated projects.

What The Live-Action Witcher Show Can Learn From Netflix’s Animated Projects

The Original Series Can Use Its Spinoffs To Improve

Netflix’s live-action Witcher series can learn from its animated spinoffs, using their strengths to improve its last two seasons. Although a live-action backdrop will likely never look as good as Sirens of the Deep‘s stunning animation, The Witcher can use its storytelling as a blueprint. Given how well faithful adaptations do, The Witcher‘s writers can try to get back on track in season 4. It may not be easy after multiple seasons of diverging from the books. However, it would be a step in the right direction, and it could garner goodwill from diehard fans of the source material.

It’s impossible to make an entire season of television as compact as a movie, but The Witcher can also take advantage of the animated projects’ focused storytelling. Seasons 4 and 5 could spend less time on subplots and supporting characters, zeroing in on the series’ central conflict instead. If this conflict ramps up the action, that’s even better. After all, the action sequences in projects like Nightmare of the Wolf and Sirens of the Deep are highlights — though that could be another benefit of the movies’ impressive animation.

There’s A Case To Be Made That The Witcher Works Better In Animation

Animation Lends Itself Well To Fantasy Narratives

While The Witcher season 4 can certainly learn from its animated spinoffs, Netflix may also need to face the harsh reality that the franchise just works better in animation. Looking at Nightmare of the Wolf and Sirens of the Deep, it seems clear that animation is the ideal way to capture The Witcher‘s world. Both projects depict the Continent in a way that’s dark and magical, and the live-action show’s setting doesn’t feel as effective by comparison. Animation also allows for more flexibility when it comes to who can portray the characters.

Projects like Sirens of the Deep can be made at a reasonable price without skimping on the extraordinary elements of the story.

And to be fair, fantasy stories typically fare better in an animated format anyway. Fantasy shows and movies require hefty budgets when they’re in a live-action format. However, projects like Sirens of the Deep can be made at a reasonable price without skimping on the extraordinary elements of the story. It’s also much easier to depict those fantastical aspects of fantasy worlds in an animated movie. That’s why Nightmare of the Wolf worked so well, and it’s why The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is equally promising.