The Witcher: Blood Origin is a great palette cleanser after all the exciting events in Season 2. Blood Origin is a prequel spin-off series that tells the origins of the first Witcher and how monsters came about on the Continent. Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novel series will inspire the series, but fans can expect a little deviation from the plots of the books. What mysteries will The Witcher: Blood Origin answer? Here is everything you need to know about the series.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Release Date: When Will The Witcher: Blood Origin Come Out?
The Witcher: Blood Origin is set to premiere on December 25, 2022. The release date for the series was announced during the 2022 Netflix Tudum event.
The two previous seasons of The Witcher series aired in December, so if we keep this in mind and follow the production timeline for the two earlier seasons, we were right to anticipate the release of The Witcher: Blood Origin sometime in Winter between October to December of 2022.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Production
We know that the series completed its principal photography in November 2021, and it entered post-production soon after. However, there have also been reports that Netflix executives were not happy with the results and had several scenes reshot.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Will Have Four Episodes with Major Reshoots
Initially, there have been reports that the series will have six episodes, but recent insider information reveals that Blood Origin may only have four episodes instead. Collider reported that the cast and crew had to take major reshoots because of the decision to shorten the show. We can only wait to see how this will affect the story of the show.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Cast: Who Will Play the Characters in The Witcher: Blood Origin?
The Witcher: Blood Origin features a star-studded cast. As of writing, there have 14 confirmed members. The show’s leads are Sophia Brown, who plays Éile, Michelle Yeoh (from (Star Trek: Discovery, Shang-Chi, and Crazy Rich Asians) playing Scían, and Laurence O’Fuarain (previously from Vikings and Game of Thrones) as Fjall. Lenny Henry will join the cast as Chief Druid Balor, along with Mirren Mack as Merwyn, Nathaniel Curtis as Brían, and Dylan Moran as Uthrok One-Nut. We will also see Jacob Collins-Levy as Eredin, Lizzie Annis as Zacaré, and Huw Novelli as Callan, aka “Brother Death.” Francesca Mills will play Meldof with Amy Murray as Fenrik, Zach Wyatt as Syndril, and Aidan O’Callaghan as Kareg.
Minnie Driver Joins the Cast
One of the announcements during the presentation for the Witcher prequel was a casting update - Minnie Driver joins the cast of The Witcher: Blood Origin. We still have no idea who her character will be, but she claims to play a vital role in connecting the events in Blood Origin to the events in The Witcher.
More Jaskier
There have also been reports that we may see familiar faces from the first seasons. In a highly anticipated cameo, Jacob Batey may appear in the series as the most famous bard, Jaskier. The latest reports for the show reveal Jacob Batey returned for more reshoots because Jaskier will have an expanded role in the new series.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Plot: What Will Happen in The Witcher: Blood Origin?
The Witcher: Blood Origins takes place 1200 years before the time of Geralt, Yennefer, and Cirilla. In this time, each of the different sentient races has its own distinct realm, everyone existing in a separate alternate universe from the others. The peace and the separation of the races ended during the Conjunction of the Spheres. When the Conjunction of the Spheres happened, all of the different realms collided into one, introducing magic, monsters, and the elven race to the world of humans. Witchers were then created to protect humans from the monsters that now roam the earth. There is still no news about the actual storylines of the series, but The Witcher fans have been blessed with many Easter eggs throughout the earlier seasons. There are two plotlines we can expect to see The Witcher: Blood Origin to cover - first, the creation of the first Witcher, and second, a possible explanation of Ciri’s Elven bloodline.
Read More: The Witcher Season 3 Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer, and Everything We Know
The Witcher and The Conjunction of Spheres
Geralt and his mentor, Vesamir, may be the most famous Witchers, but they are certainly not the first. Blood Origin may be the perfect opportunity for us to learn the history of the Witchers and how they came to be.
The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich mentioned in an interview:
The second plotline may help fans and viewers understand the stand of the Elves and how Ciri became a descendant of elves. The series could explore the lives of the elves before the Conjunction of the Spheres. The Conjunction forced the Elves to deal with the interference of the humans, and it may be interesting to see the Elves at the height of their power and cultural development.
Declan de Barra, the executive producer for The Witcher: Blood Origins, explains in an interview that he is fascinated by the pre-colonized world of the elves.
The series could also explain how humans with elven blood came to be. The series title, Blood Origin, could be a reference to Elder Blood. Elder Blood is the bloodline that came from the elven mages and was meant to be only kept within the elven race. However, one elf strayed from the path the began a relationship with a human after the Conjunction. This elf could be the ancestor of humans with elven powers - like Ciri.
Whichever way the story goes, the showrunners of The Witcher: Blood Origin is promising a surprising season for its fans.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Behind the Scenes
Netflix released a behind-the-scenes video for Blood Origin.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Trailer: Where Can I Watch The Witcher: Blood Origin Trailer?
The official trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin premiered on December 4, 2022. It offers an exciting, action-filled first-look into the fantasy series.
The official teaser trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin came out in early November, a few weeks before the official release date of the series.
The Witcher: Blood Origin Teaser
The Witcher: Blood Origin’s first trailer was released as a post-credit teaser in The Witcher Season 2. It was released in December of 2021. The teaser showed beautiful landscapes and action-packed battles showing the stars of the series, including Michelle Yeoh, Sophia Brown, and Laurence O’Fuarain. The teaser dropped hints about the series story, such as epic battles, stolen swords, and a band of heroes battling evil. Watch the first trailer of The Witcher: Blood Origins here:
The Witcher: Blood Origin in Netflix Tudum 2022
We will learn more news and updates about the Witcher prequel during Netflix’s annual Tudum event, since The Witcher: Blood Origin is a part of the event. Watch the event trailer here:
The Witcher: Blood Origin Where to Watch: Where Can I Watch The Witcher: Blood Origin?
The Witcher: Blood Origin will be available for streaming on Netflix. The Witcher Season 1 and The Witcher Season 2 are also available for viewing on Netflix. Netflix is also producing more content for the series in the future, including The Witcher Season 3 and a second Witcher animated movie.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is an exciting addition to The Witcher arsenal. Keep your coins ready and your swords sharp as we wait for the release of another promising Witcher series.
