A holiday tradition at Netflix continues when you watch The Witcher: Blood Origin. on Netflix, a prequel spinoff series of the hit fantasy series The Witcher. But will this series be on par with the original (one of the best shows on Netflix)?
Or, is this just something to keep us fed while we wait for The Witcher season 3.
Netflix announced they were making The Witcher: Blood Origin in summer of 2020, revealing that the series is set "1200 years before Geralt of Rivia" (Henry Cavill) prowled the Northern Kingdoms. This will show a time when "the worlds of monsters, men and elves merged into one, and the first Witcher came to be."
The Witcher: Blood Origin is a four-episode limited series and chronicle the origins of the very first Witcher and depict the events that led to the "conjunction of the spheres," a time when the the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.
While the prequel likely won't feature any cast members from The Witcher, it will involve the same people from behind the scenes. The Witcher writer Declan de Barra will serve as showrunner, with The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich on board as an executive producer. And The Witcher universe creator Andrzej Sapkowski will be on hand as a creative consultant.
In a statement, De Barra said, "As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story 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," he continued. "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.”
Here's everything we know so far about The Witcher: Blood Origin — and check out the trailer right now:
When does The Witcher: Blood Origin come out on Netflix?
The Witcher: Blood Origin is a Christmas Day treat, delivering on Dec. 25, 2022. It will drop at at 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. GMT / 7 p.m. AEDT.
The Witcher: Blood Origin cast
The Witcher: Blood Origin just cast Michelle Yeoh, the biggest name attached to the series so far. Yeoh will be playing a blade-specialist named Scían, who joins two other new characters, Fjall (Laurence O'Fuarain) and Éile (Sophia Brown).
Sophia Brown (Giri/Haji, Marcella) joined the series to take over from Jodie Turner-Smith, who had to leave due to schedule conflicts. As Éile, Brown will portray a badass who is also an aspiring musician with a powerful voice. Éile's left her role as the Queen's guardian to pursue this dream, but finds her way back to combat.
Since Blood Origin is set 1,200 years before the current events of The Witcher, none of that show's cast members are likely to be involved in the prequel, including Henry Cavill, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra.
However, some fans had the idea for Witcher: Blood Origin to be narrated by the traveling bard Jaskier (Joey Batey), as if it's a legend that he's recounting. That would tie the spinoff more directly to the flagship show.
