With Netflix’s recent success in The Witcher, it is not surprising that a second season is in development. What is surprising however is that not only is Netflix bringing out an animated film set in the same universe, but to put a cherry on top of the cake they have also just announced a new spin-off series titled The Witcher: Blood Origin.
Set 1200 years before the story of Geralt of Rivia, this six-part spin-off will give insight into the origins of the titular monster hunters and how the world we have seen depicted so far came to be. A synopsis for the show reads: “Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the origin of the very first Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal ‘conjunction of spheres’, when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.” It appears that this series will differ significantly from the Henry Cavill led show and may even potentially drift away from horror overtones in favour of more fantastical elements.
Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will serve as Executive Producers, with Barra also acting as showrunner. Declan has said that “As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story of The Witcher: Blood Origin. A question has been burning in my mind ever since I first read The Witcher books – What was the Elven world really like before the cataclysmic arrival of the humans?”. It is certain that he has a lot of excitement and sees the potential for the show, and one hopes that this level of enthusiasm is still present in the final product.
Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of the book series that the shows are based on, will be returning as a creative consultant so book fans need not worry about Netflix carrying out any injustices. Thus far, not too much is known about the show’s development, such as who is being eyed for the cast, other than that filming will take place in the UK.
Having been a huge fan of the show when it aired last year with its high fantasy world, complex characters, and awesome action sequences, I hope we get all that and more from this prequel show. If Netflix keeps bringing out content like this, I certainly won’t mind tossing another coin to my witcher.
Words by George Bell
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