Exciting, flattering: Henry Cavill, 'The Witcher' showrunner on comparisons with 'Game of Thrones'

Hollywood star Henry Cavill, who has for now swapped his 'Superman' cape with a new armour in "The Witcher", is not worried about the inevitable comparison of the upcoming Netflix show with fantasy epic "Game of Thrones".

The new show is based on Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski's book series.

Though "The Witcher" is populated with humans, elves, witchers and gnomes, the "Mission Impossible" star hopes it will explore a new side of the fantasy genre.

"I don't think 'Game of Thrones' has spoiled the fantasy genre," Cavill said when asked about the influence of the series based on GRR Martin's books.

"First of all, 'Lord of the Rings' really opened the door to everyone and 'Game of Thrones' just showed you a different room in the house, and 'The Witcher' will show you more rooms yet to come. It's an exciting prospect to lean into the fantasy genre even more," Cavill told PTI in an exclusive telephonic interview from Manila.

"The Witcher" showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, who has written the prestige drama "The West Wing" besides writing and producing popular shows such as "Parenthood", "Do No Harm", "Private Practice", "Daredevil" and "The Umbrella Academy", said being compared to "Game of Thrones", considered one of the biggest TV hits, was "incredibly flattering".

"I was a huge fan of the show. So when people ask me, 'Oh, is this the next 'Game of Thrones'?, I think what they're actually saying is 'Could this fantasy show resonate with audiences in the same way? Could it be as popular? Could it be as successful?' And of course, as a creator, I hope that happens.

"I hope that what we've done is craft a show that's very different than 'Game of Thrones' in so many ways. The way it handles the story of the monsters and magic, it's very different. It is its own thing. But yes, I hope the show is just as successful and the audiences fall in love with it in the same way," Lauren told PTI.

"The Witcher" follows the intertwined destinies of three individuals in the vast world of The Continent, where different creatures battle to survive and thrive, and where good and evil is not easily identified.

Cavill leads the cast as the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, alongside Anya Chalotra as Yennefer and Freya Allan as Ciri.

"The Witcher" premieres globally on Netflix on December 20.