The Netflix NX twitter account announcedThe Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel to their acclaimed adaptation ofAndrzej Sapkowski’sThe Witcherfantasy novel series. No details regarding casting or release date are available yet but it’ll be helmed byThe Witchershowrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and series writer Declan De Barra.
Set 1200 years before the events of the first season,Blood Originappears to explore the origins of the Continent and the creation of the first Witcher.
RELATED:Can The Witcher Work Without Geralt?
Released in December 2019, Netflix’sThe Witcherwon their second biggest audience for an original series in 2019. Adapting the first two short story collections ‘The Last Wish’ and ‘Sword of Destiny’, the series was the third most demanded series afterStranger ThingsandThe Mandalorian.
The Witcherwas originally developed as a standalone film, but Netflix Vice President of International Originals Kelly Luegenbiehl convinced the producers to turn it into an 8 part series. He asked how he could possibly “take eight novels and just turn it into a film?” Netflix announced asecond season forThe Witcherbefore the first was released and clearly have faith in the series with this new spin off.
In a statement to Deadline, Declan De Barra said, “As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the storyThe Witcher: Blood Origin. A question has been burning in my mind ever since I first readThe Witcherbooks – 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 Originwill tell the tale of the Elven civilization before its fall, and most importantly reveal the forgotten history of the very first Witcher.”
Netflix has also announced an anime filmNightmare of the Wolf, about Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir.Nightmarewill comefrom the same studio asThe Legend of Korra, Studio Mir, with showrunner Lauren Hissrich and Beau DeMayo attached to write.
The Witcherseason 2 is expected in 2021. Season 1 is available on Netflix.
MORE:Exploring The Witcher 3’s Geralt and Player Immersion in RPGs
