Toss a coin to fans of The Witcher series on Netflix, as another new project for the universe is in the works. Delving deep into the very beginnings of the first Witcher is The Witcher: Blood Origin, an upcoming live-action series that also serves as a prequel to the original title, where a new protagonist is set to take the spotlight.
The spin-off will span across six installments, with Lauren Schimdt Hissrich and Declan de Barra acting as executive producers, and executive-producer-slash-showrunner respectively. Andrzej Sapkowski, writer of the The Witcher novels, has joined the team as creative consultant as well.
“Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the origin of the very first Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal “conjunction of the spheres,” when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one,” a brief synopsis of the series reads.
A release date has yet to be announced, but the news certainly comes across as unexpected, if interesting. Unlike the main series, which enjoyed the boost of The Witcher‘s already-established presence in the game community, as well as the iconic, well-loved figure of Geralt, Blood Origin will see a brand-new character, whose personality and traits are being modelled from scratch. Even the previously announced The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf anime movie has Geralt’s mentor Vesemir as the protagonist – who while arguably not as popular as Geralt, is still a familiar face.
It’d be interesting, then, to see how the team will be able to create a narrative that’s strong enough to stand on its own, especially with a host of new, unexplored elements. Both de Barra and Hissrich aren’t daunted by the novelty of it all, however, with the former sharing, “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. 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.”
Adding on to the de Barra’s statement, Hissrich also wrote that the upcoming project has been the “toughest secret to keep”, and promises much excitement to come – be it world building, lore, or action. More importantly, will Dandelion be the one to tell the story of the first Witcher?
There’s truly no better time to be a Witcher fan. Apart from Blood Origin and Nightmare of the Wolf, the second season of The Witcher is set to arrive soon, where new Witchers and a talking bear (yes, really), more game-inspired easter eggs, and a non-linear story are all laying in wait.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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