After The Witcher became 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 prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin.

In fact, Netflix’s TUDUM stream confirmed Blood Origin will be the company’s heavy hitter this December after first being teased as the post-credits to The Witcher’s second season. Still, what makes Blood Origin all the more interesting is that it revolves around the events that took place before the all-defining Conjunction of Spheres — which, despite defining much of The Witcher’s lore, 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

The Witcher: Blood Origin poster with release date cropped

First things first, Netflix did announce that Blood Origin will be a Christmas Day premiere. It drops on the platform on December 25, 2022, similar to how the prior two The Witcher seasons 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 available for quite a while now.

It was also reported that Blood Origin underwent some reshoots 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

The Witcher: Blood Origin cast of elves in fight stance

Perhaps the most unique aspect about it, Blood Origin takes 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 Origin is 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 for The Witcher series shared some updates a couple of weeks ago with these defining aspects. It reminded its potential audience that Blood Origin is 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 in The Witcher, because, well, the irony. As the main series has established, the magic used by the many sorcerers in The Witcher comes from the elves themselves, with Yennefer owing her powers to her Elven blood.

Showrunner and The Witcher writer 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 for Blood Origin. Even more so, the prequel is meant to outline the purpose of many characters and artifacts spread out in The Witcher’s lore. The series could thus be an Easter egg fest for fans of The Witcher games, novels, and the mainline show.

Blood Origin’s Cast

Witcher Blood Origin Netflix Minnie Driver Seanchaí

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Blood Origin’s most 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 announced Minnie Driver would join Blood Origin as Seanchaí, an Elven shapeshifter with the ability to travel through times and worlds. This may make her pivotal to the story’s progression and how it ties to The Witcher’s plot.

The rest of the cast has mostly been revealed even prior to Blood Origin’s trailer debut in 2021, and includes:

  • Sophia Brown (Éile)
  • Laurence O'Fuarain (Fjail)
  • Mirren Mack (Merwyn)
  • Dylan Moran (Uthrok One-Nut)
  • Jacob Collins-Levy (Eredin)
  • Francesca Mills (Meldof)
  • Amy Murray (Fenrik)
  • Zach Wyatt (Syndril)

Though not many are really well-known names, some Rings of Power viewers 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

The Witcher Blood Origin Joey Batey Jaskier

One of the bigger changes to Blood Origin is 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 make Blood Origin a must-watch for fans of The Witcher come Christmas. Viewers will get a good four hours of history lessons on the fall of the Elves and the fabled Conjunction of Spheres, as well as the first rough draft for Geralt’s powers.

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