AfterThe Witcherbecame one of Netflix’s most successful shows, the streaming giant has been happy to greenlight plenty of projects that span across Andrzej Sapkowski’s continent and its history. And now, that includes the fully original prequelThe Witcher: Blood Origin.
In fact, Netflix’s TUDUM stream confirmedBlood Originwill be the company’s heavy hitter this December after first being teased as the post-credits toThe Witcher’ssecond season. Still, what makesBlood Originall the more interesting is that it revolves around the events thattook place before the all-defining Conjunction of Spheres— which, despite defining much ofThe Witcher’slore, is largely ignored by most of its characters beyond its general historical significance. What can viewers look forward to seeing in this prequel?
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Release & Trailers
First things first, Netflix did announce thatBlood Originwill be a Christmas Day premiere. It drops on the platform onDecember 25, 2022,similar to how the prior twoThe Witcherseasons released roughly a week before Christmas Eve. As for trailers, probably as an effort to tie the two together,Blood Origin’s official preview has been availablefor quite a while now.
It was also reported thatBlood Originunderwent somereshoots that accommodated Jaskier (Joey Batey)to step in as narrator, which is partly why the series probably took so long to get be finished. In any case, keeping up with Netflix’s marketing strategies, viewers should expect a new trailer to be posted close to a month before the series premieres.
Setting & Plot
Perhaps the most unique aspect about it,Blood Origintakes place around 1,200 years before Witcher fans ever got to know Geralt of Rivia. The series will explain how the first of his kind was made.Blood Originis set in the world of the Elves before their reality became intertwined with that of humans and the many monsters that inhabit the continent. The Conjunction of Spheres is the apocalyptic tragedy that causes the three to merge.
The official Twitter account forThe Witcherseries shared some updates a couple of weeks ago with these defining aspects. It reminded its potential audience thatBlood Originis set in the Elves’ supposed “Golden Era,” the peak of even civilization, though not a time period free of political turmoil. For example, there are at least three distinct Elven factions. The dwarves are victims of similar discrimination to that endured by the Elves inThe Witcher,because, well, the irony. As the main series has established, the magic used by the many sorcerers inThe Witchercomes from the elves themselves, with Yennefer owing her powers to her Elven blood.
Showrunner andThe Witcherwriter Declan de Barra has said:“We have a character who’s crucial in the books in terms of their prophecies”whose omen becomes of great importance in Sapkowski’s world. This statement that could refer to Aen Ithilinne, who foreshadowed the end of the Elven world.
De Barra also mentioned that even though the first Witcher was a human creation, the Trial of the Grasses and the lore surrounding what led to their creation is fair game forBlood Origin. Even more so, the prequel is meant to outline the purpose of many characters and artifacts spread out inThe Witcher’slore. The series could thus be an Easter egg fest for fans ofThe Witchergames, novels, and the mainline show.
Blood Origin’sCast
Up until a couple of weeks ago,Blood Origin’smost famous cast member was Michelle Yeoh, who will play Scian, the last member of a nomadic Elven tribe cast out by the other factions. However, during Netflix’s TUDUM, it was also announcedMinnie Driver would joinBlood Originas Seanchaí, an Elven shapeshifter with the ability to travel through times and worlds. This may make her pivotal to the story’s progression andhow it ties toThe Witcher’splot.
The rest of the cast has mostly been revealed even prior toBlood Origin’strailer debut in 2021, and includes:
Though not many are really well-known names, someRings of Powerviewers will recognize Lenny Henry, who was cast as Chief Druid Balor, since he plays the elderly Harfoot Sadoc Burrows in that prequel.
Episode Count & Runtime
One of the bigger changes toBlood Originis that the series went from having six planned episodes to just four of roughly an hour each. It’s believed this was partly done to make the story more engaging during the same stage when Jaskier got increased involvement as a future narrator.
Suffice it to say, all of this should makeBlood Originamust-watch for fans ofThe Witchercome Christmas. Viewers will get a good four hours of history lessons on the fall of the Elves andthe fabled Conjunction of Spheres, as well as the first rough draft for Geralt’s powers.
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