After over a year of speculation, Netflix finally revealed the release date for the upcoming prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin at the TUDUM fan event.
Alongside a poster for the limited series, Netflix announced the show is scheduled to premiere on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, confirming rumors that have surfaced in recent months. But one of the biggest announcements for the upcoming show was the addition of actor Minnie Driver to the cast as the series' narrator.
While originally announced as a six-episodes show, recent reports revealed The Witcher: Blood Origin will now feature just four episodes, following reshoots and what have been reported to be heavy edits. Netflix has not provided any official comments on the decision to shorten the series. The writing credits for the episodes include showrunner Declan de Barra, who is attached to the first and fourth episode; Alex Meenehan and Aaron Stewart-Ahn for the second episode and, finally, Tania Lotia and Kiersten Van Horne attached to the third.
Drawing inspiration from Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, Blood Origin is set 1,200 years before Geralt of Rivia and Ciri ever united, shortly after the cataclysmic event known as the Conjunction of the Spheres, which allowed humans, monsters and magic to spill from other dimensions to the Continent. The live-action series follows elven characters Éile, played by Sophia Brown; Fjall, played by Laurence O'Fuarain and Scian, played by Michelle Yeoh-- entirely new characters created specifically for the series.
The show's connection to The Witcher is not solely in the landscape or appearances by Voleth Meir and Eredin Bréacc Glas, the show will reportedly include a framing story featuring Jaskier, the bard, once again played by actor and musician Joey Batey. Netflix is yet to officially confirm Batey is attached to the production, though, so Jaskier's involvement should be treated as pure speculation at this stage.
Netflix Has More Witcher Up Its Sleeves
Blood Origin was announced in 2020 and released its first teaser trailer a year later, attached to the Season 2 finale of The Witcher. It showcased the different elven clans across the Continent and a first look at Brown, O'Fuarain and Yeoh in costume as their respective elven warriors. Since then, there have been few reports from Netflix itself concerning the progress of the show.
But the streaming giant has much more in store for the Continent, including Season 3 of The Witcher, a new anime film, reportedly titled The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep; and a family-friendly project announced at last year's TUDUM event. All of these will comprise what Netflix calls The World of the Witcher.
Source: Netflix