Netflix's upcoming prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin is currently casting, which has led to a number of audition tapes surfacing. The scripts, while not necessarily revealing, provides viewers with an idea of what they can expect from the characters populating the series.
The first of the tapes is for the part of someone by the name of Utharis. His monologue, read by actor Neil Fitzmaurice, begins with, "Magnificent, isn't it? Such a heady mix. That sweet stench of sunrot on corpses, enemy fires and cesspits. Roasted meat and shit have graced my nostrils so many a year that my mouth waters whenever I smell either of them," suggesting that Utharis is a war-loving mercenary of sorts, who is only interested in getting paid. Additionally, Utharis' monologue hints at an unnamed prince and seems to refer to a conflict between that prince and his uncle-- referred to in the audition script as Gandal the Golden.
A second new character, Salliche, an elven scientist and husband of a character name Kaali, whose description surfaced earlier this month. While the script never specifies what Salliche is working on, it hints that the scientist is working on a project mixing magic and science that will change the world. "If I could just get this to talk to the stones it would change everything. No more famine, no more thirst, no more wars, everyone will have what they need." Kaali was previously revealed to be serving as a handmaid to a member of royalty, and described as being "eager, kind, caring and loyal to her husband and his plight."
The Witcher: Blood Origin is currently in pre-production and is scheduled to begin filming in August. There have been a number of major casting announcements, such as the inclusion of Vikings actor Laurence O'Fuarain as one of the series' main characters, Fjall; as well as the departure of Jodie Turner-Smith as one of the leads, Éile. No announcements have been made regarding her replacement. Surprisingly, the series has also cast Australian actor Jacob Collins-Levy as none other than Eredin Bréacc Glas, better known as King of the Wild Hunt.
The upcoming Netflix series is set 1,200 years prior to the events of the The Witcher series, in the aftermath of the cataclysmic event known, in Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, as the Conjunction of the Spheres. The show was announced in July 2020 as a six-part live-action series helmed by The Witcher writer Declan de Barra.
Source: Vimeo, via Redanian Intelligence