Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s upcoming six-part prequel series on Netflix, The Witcher: Blood Origin, is yet another addition to the ever-expanding Witcherverse. The series will be set during a period nearly 1200 years before Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia makes an appearance in Netflix’s The Witcher.
Working alongside Declan de Barra, the writer of the show, Hissrich confirmed that the series would be set in a time when the Witchers were not considered an abomination and record the calamitous event that merged the worlds of monster and men”. It will be set during a timeline that even precedes the timeline of Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels.
The series will bring to us the creation of the first-ever witcher and has a very interesting ensemble, including Sir Lenny Henrey, Michelle Yeoh, Laurence O’Fuarain, Sophia Brown, Nathaniel Curtis, Mirren Mack, Jacob Collins-Levy, Francesca Mills, Lizzie Annis, Zach Wyatt and Amy Murray.
Hissrich spoke extensively about the upcoming series which you can read here.
In a video released by Netflix, we get to know that the first episode will be titled ‘Of Ballads and Bloody Blades’. The name itself gives away the gruesome premise and the grim tone that will most likely pervade throughout the series.
In the video, de Barra takes the viewers on a virtual tour across the filming locations of the series. They show the huge sets at Arborfield Studios in the United Kingdom that is being built by tireless professionals and the various props being used. He also explains how no animals have been harmed during filming by showing the prototypes of an eel that is to be used in the show.
From the monsters and ghouls to the beasts, the production team has put in an indefatigable effort to bring the Witcherverse to existence. He constantly expresses his gratitude towards the talented people on the sets for bringing his ideas to life. He also let slip a major detail about the show- it will be completely set underwater.
The Witcher: Blood Origin was also filmed in Iceland to add authenticity to the show. Declan de Barra says that since the show is “epic”, they had to take the shooting out of the sets to some other epic place where it seems like “the Earth has vomited up mountains out of nowhere”.
The Witcher season 2 starring Henry Cavill will premiere on December 17, 2021, while Blood Origin is slated for a 2022 premiere.
