Netflix announces The Witcher prequel series Blood Origin
The six-part series will expand the world of Netflix's fantasy epic.
Netflix has announced The Witcher: Blood Origin, a live-action prequel to the streamer's hit fantasy drama, set 1200 years before the events of the main series.
The show will be a six-part limited series that will reveal the origin of the very first Witcher, as well as the events leading up to the conjunction of the spheres, when the worlds of monsters, men and elves merged into one.
No cast members have been announced just yet, but The Witcher's Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will serve as executive producer alongside Declan de Barra (Marvel's Iron Fist), who will act as showrunner.
de Barra said: “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?
"I've always been fascinated by the rise and fall of civilisations; how science, discovery, and culture flourish right before that fall. How vast swathes of knowledge are lost forever in such a short time, often compounded by colonisation and a rewriting of history, leaving only fragments of a civilisation’s true story behind.
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"The Witcher: Blood Origin will tell the tale of the Elven civilisation before it fell, and most importantly reveal the forgotten history of the very first Witcher."
The author of The Witcher novels, Andrzej Sapkowski, will work on the prequel series as a creative consultant, keeping it in line with his original vision for the fantasy world.
Sapkowski added: "It is exciting that the world of Witcher - as planned in the very beginning - is expanding. I hope it will bring more fans to the world of my books."
There's no word yet on when The Witcher: Blood Origin will be released on Netflix, but given current complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic, fans may have a while to wait.
In the meantime, they do have a second season of the main series on the horizon, which recently resumed filming after going on hiatus following the initial outbreak.
Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous Witcher, for a new batch of episodes that will ditch the split timeline format of the initial run, which some viewers found confusing.
The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
