Witcher Writers Attack Beau DeMayo for Pulling Back the Curtain

Television

After a month of radio silence, the floodgates are open, as Netflix has apparently permitted their Witcher employees to publicly respond to accusations made against them. Back in October, former Netflix Witcher writer Beau DeMayo publicly came out to accuse the Netflix writers’ room of “actively disliking” the Witcher books and games, even going so far as “actively mocking the source material.” This news erupted online, heralded as the unspoken truth which explained the complete bastardization of the Witcher canon in this Netflix series. Within that same week, it was announced that Henry Cavill would be leaving the role of Geralt. The report that the writers “actively dislike” the source material was then used by many to explain Cavill’s departure.

Following this one-two-punch of disastrous news for the Netflix series, Lauren Hissrich and her writers’ room remained silent… until now. Nearly simultaneously, three Witcher writers have come out in response to both Henry Cavill’s departure and DeMayo’s revelations. Two of these writers, Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Troy Dangerfield, had very diplomatic and professional responses. These two men focused on how much they enjoyed their jobs and were excited about the future of the franchise.

It's pretty Cool™️ and Fun™️ to try and talk about how much you love your job and then get replies like this cause some asshole you used to work with made up a bunch of lies to your fanbase to cover up how he got fired for being an asshole and now that's the narrative. pic.twitter.com/JibrV2RALE

— At the Mountains of Mattness (@drmattdambrosio) December 5, 2022

However, the third writer to respond was not diplomatic or professional. Matthew D’ambrosio came out swinging against the fans who disliked Netflix’s portrayal of The Witcher and DeMayo himself. In response to relatively innocuous Twitter comments that criticize Netflix’s The Witcher, D’ambrosio had this to say:

“It’s pretty Cool™️ and Fun™️ to try and talk about how much you love your job and then get replies like this cause some asshole you used to work with made up a bunch of lies to your fanbase to cover up how he got fired for being an asshole and now that’s the narrative.”

This aggressive response to legitimate criticism drips with vitriol. While it’s clear Netflix finally gave these Witcher writers permission to release their opinions publicly, it is doubtful that they would approve of such aggressive language against both DeMayo and the audience. His claim that DeMayo was fired has not been corroborated, especially on the grounds of being an asshole, but it’s clear there was no love lost in their relationship. D’ambrosio goes on to defend his qualifications for his position in a follow-up tweet, where he continued:

“It sucks to see all the hard work put into something tainted because of a bullshit narrative. I played the games before I read the books AND THEN I got the opportunity of a lifetime to work on the sort of show I’ve always wanted to be on. And guess what? It’s still a dream job!”

In response to an accusation of disliking the source material, this statement does nothing to assuage fans’ concerns. Merely saying that you’ve played the games and read the books at least once in no way clarifies your opinions on them. If D’ambrosio wanted to contradict the notion that he doesn’t like the source material, merely saying he has seen the source material in no way accomplishes that goal. If anything, his aggressive demeanor in response to these accusations only solidifies the audience’s perception of this broken and incompetent writers’ room.

The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich also had some comments about DeMayo’s accusations. While at first glance, her remarks also seem professional and diplomatic, there is a degree of passive-aggressive deflection evident in her words. On her Instagram, Hissrich stated:

“I have great respect for Beau and the episodes he wrote! The striga episode is one of my favorites. He wrote the one where people came to Kaer Morhen and Eskel died, which had a lot of backlash, but he was brave in telling the story he wanted to tell. I respect that.”

DeMayo did indeed write the two episodes that received the most backlash from Witcher book fans. As such, merely being the whistleblower does not make him immune to the same criticisms that those who remain at Netflix are receiving. Killing off Eskel was the decision that received the most backlash from book fans. However, the fact that Hissrich chose to highlight this fact comes off as a desperate deflection filled with passive-aggression. Hissrich went on to add:

“I’ve never mocked the books. The books are my entire livelihood. I have a great relationship with Mr. Sapkowski, and writers rooms are sacred and safe supportive spaces. Don’t believe everything you read.”

While it’s true that she has never come out to mock the books publicly, actions speak louder than words. Hissrich and her Witcher writers’ room insulted the books with every episode released and every divergence taken. It was entirely unnecessary for DeMayo to come out and confirm what was evident to any viewer who was familiar with the books. Her comments started out with professional praise of DeMayo before attempting to shift the blame onto him and ending with calling him an abject liar. Quite the roller coaster. Taking both Hissrich’s and D’ambrosio’s aggressive statements, Hissrich’s claim of a “sacred and safe supportive” workplace appears to be another lie to stack upon the countless false claims made by this writers’ room.