Netflix hands out series order to ‘The Witcher’ prequel

The Witcher

Netflix has ordered a live-action six-part limited series drama set in the same world as its action fantasy The Witcher, with the new show set to be filmed in the UK.

The Witcher: Blood Origin has Declan de Barra, who was writer on the first season of The Witcher, attached as exec producer and showrunner, while Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, who is exec producer and showrunner on the parent series, will also exec produce the spin-off.

Andrzej Sapkowski, who wrote The Witcher book series that the Netflix show is based on, will serve as creative consultant on the new show, while Jason Brown and Sean Daniel from Hivemind and Tomek Baginski and Jarek Sawko from Platige Films will also serve as EP’s.

Blood Origin is a prequel series set 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher, revealing the history of the elven civilisation and the story of the very first Witcher, which are magically-enhanced monster hunters.

The parent series, which counts Henry Cavill among its cast, is expected to resume production on its second season next month. No casting details have yet been announced for Blood Origin.

“As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story The Witcher: Blood Origin,” said de Barra. “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.”

Sapkowski added that he was excited that the world of The Witcher was expanding and that he hoped the new show would bring more fans “to the world of my books.”