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Netflix Greenlights ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ Prequel

Limited series, set 1,200 years before Geralt of Rivia slayed his first monster, tells the origin story of the very first Witcher.

Hmmmm… if you’ve ever wondered how the first Witcher came to be, then worry no more. Netflix has announced a new six part, live-action limited series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel to the streaming giant’s hit series The Witcher, that stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.

The new series, to be shot in the UK, will be set in an Elven world 1,200 years before Geralt’s first celebratory monster slaying tavern hop; Blood Origin will tell the origin of the very first Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal “conjunction of the spheres,” when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.

Declan de Barra will serve as executive producer and showrunner; Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will act as executive producer. Andrzej Sapkowski will serve as creative consultant on the series. Jason Brown and Sean Daniel from Hivemind, and Tomek Baginski and Jarek Sawko from Platige Films will all serve as executive producers.

According to de Barra: “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? I've always been fascinated by the rise and fall of civilizations, 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 colonization and a rewriting of history. Leaving only fragments of a civilization’s true story behind. The Witcher: Blood Origin will tell the tale of the Elven civilization before its fall, and most importantly reveal the forgotten history of the very first Witcher.”

“I am so thrilled to collaborate with Declan and the Netflix team on The Witcher: Blood Origin,” Hissrich added. “It’s an exciting challenge to explore and expand The Witcher universe created by Andrzej Sapkowski, and we can’t wait to introduce fans to new characters and an original story that will enrich our magical, mythical world even more.”

Back in January, Netflix announced that Studio Mir (The Legend of Korra, Voltron: Legendary DefenderKipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts) had been in development for over a year on a new anime feature spinoff, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. The film, which, “explores a powerful new threat facing the Continent,” will be set in the same universe as The Witcher, but it is unclear if our favorite White Wolf, bard, or sorceress will be joining the cast. The filmmaking team includes The Witcher producers Hissrich and Beau DeMayo.

Netflix has yet to reveal any release dates for either project, though Season 2 of The Witcher had been set for 2021 prior to pandemic-related work stoppages.

Source: Netflix

Dan Sarto's picture

Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.