Doug Cockle has voiced Geralt of Rivia for nearly two decades in The Witcher video games, but will return in late 2024 for an animated film for Netflix called Sirens of the Deep.
Speaking to IGN, Cockle said he was surprised to be offered the role in Sirens of the Deep – which will see the Witcher try to resolve the escalating lovers’ feud between humans and humans – and revealed that he found Geralt quite challenging. Silver screen.
„I didn’t expect to be asked to do that,” Cackle said. „I fully expected someone else to do it because of the Netflix relationship, because until I was asked to do the Witcher anime, I had no real connection to Netflix other than watching it. So when I got the call, I said, 'Would you be interested in voicing Geralt in the Netflix Witcher anime?'” I said, 'Yes!’
Cockle felt more comfortable taking on the role because „I was asked to do Geralt the way I’ve played it before,” he said. The novelty of recording a linear story was interesting to him, as Cockle was heavily used in the vast branching stories of The Witcher video game series.
One thing was very difficult: speaking like an angel. „However, I found it very fascinating, but I didn’t think it would be too much of a given, trying to get my head around Mers-speak,” Cockle said.
„It was tough. I think I did the director’s head for a while because I thought I had it,” he laughed. „I thought I was doing it well, and then I could almost hear him say in his voice, 'OK, Doug, that was good, now, let’s try it again, let’s think about it.’ I don’t get it.
„It’s difficult because the merfolk are speaking… the books describe them as singing the kind of song they sing, and Geralt has none of that. That’s why I struggled so much, getting this song. Geralt’s quality, gruff, somewhat monotone delivery. It was a real challenge.”
Sirens of the Deep has been rumored for years for its announcement during Netflix’s Geek Week 2023. An adaptation of the Witcher short story A Little Sacrifice, it was even teased in a song during Season 3 of the Netflix show.
Netflix regulars Anya Chalortra will star as Yennefer and Joe Paddy will star as Cockle. Christina Wren stars as Essie Daven, who has never appeared outside of the original Witcher books. He will be one of three Geralds to appear in The Witcher adaptations on Netflix, with Henry Cavill originally playing the role before leaving after three seasons, and Liam Hemsworth taking over the role from season 4.
„Gerald of Rivia, a mutant monster hunter, is hired to investigate a series of attacks on a coastal village and finds himself drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humans and humans,” reads the official synopsis. „He must rely on old and new friends to solve the mystery before hostilities between the two kingdoms escalate into full-scale war.”
A small sacrifice takes place in the Witcher world around 1244, right after Gerald and Yennefer meet for the first time in Season 1 Episode 5 of the Netflix show, but 20 years before the main story begins in Season 2.
Ryan Tinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He talks about The Witcher all day.
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