The first two novels in Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher saga, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, are actually collections of short stories that follow Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri across a number of years, and the latter doesn't appear until the end of Sword of Destiny. Therein lay a problem for showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich.

In an interview with Collider, Hissrich explained, "I knew that there were stories from The Last Wish that I wanted to adapt. But we're missing one of our main characters." As mentioned, she was referring to Ciri, who is introduced relatively late in the story. Hissrich continued, "It was equally important for me to introduce Ciri and Yennefer much earlier in the series." To overcome this issue, the showrunner drew inspiration from a notable filmmaker.

RELATED: The Witcher Showrunner Explains Series' Biggest Change from Source Material

"I watched Dunkirk, the movie. And I had read an interview with Christopher Nolan... he was talking about his timelines because there are also three timelines in that movie," she explained. She went on to describe her excited but cautious approach to unfolding three timelines simultaneously, but concluded by saying, "It was the first time I felt 'Oh my god, I know how I want to tell these stories.'"

The show certainly succeeds in establishing all three characters, albeit in a way that might be confusing for some-- something that Hissrich acknowledged as a possibility in the interview. The showrunner has stated recently that Season 2 will feature more focused storytelling, now that the series has introduced everything it needs to.

The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as Jaskier. The series is available for streaming on Netflix.

KEEP READING: The Witcher: Henry Cavill Took Geralt's Costume Home