News

Lenny Henry's surprising transformation from comedy to the fantasy genre was notable in his role as Chief Druid Balor in The Witcher: Blood Origin. Henry's venture into fantasy with his villainous role in the miniseries received negative reviews, indicating he may be more suited to playing the good guy. His portrayal of a lovable character in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showcased Henry's strength in playing protagonist roles, suggesting that he should consider sticking to those characters in the fantasy genre.

One actor who appears in The Witcher: Blood Origin is relatively new to the fantasy scene in the world of television, and it's fascinating to see his transformation not only from comedy projects to those in the fantasy genre but also from playing the good guy to portraying the villain. The Netflix miniseries serves as a prequel to The Witcher, and its first...

This Witcher article contains spoilers for season 3 part 1 and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

In the first part of The Witcher season 3, we learn that Istredd (Royce Pierreson) is one of many people looking for Ciri (Freya Allan) across the Continent. After learning of her Elder Blood last season, he seems to be interested in her connection to the Monoliths for academic purposes. Rather than sending soldiers or monsters after Ciri, his search for answers first sends him on a quest to find the Book of Monoliths, an old elven book that supposedly “holds the key to traveling between spheres.”

Based on information he gets from super sleuths Codringher (Simon Callow) and Fenn (Liz Carr), Istredd tracks the book to an elven cavern near Nilfgaard and is shocked to find that someone from Aretuza had already claimed it. When he returns to his alma mater for the Conclave, he helps Triss...

Warning! Spoilers for The Witcher: Blood Origin

The Witcher Netflix series has now added the story of the first Witcher to its canon narrative, and it has a major impact on the franchise going forward. Prequel miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin depicts many infamous historical events in the Witcher canon, one of which was who became the first Witcher in existence. This contrasts with the creation of the first Witcher ever in The Witcher book series, which tells a different story. While much of the monster-hunting organization is shrouded in mystery and prejudice from those they protect, most know that the enhanced reflexes and strength of the Witchers are attributed to genetic mutation and experimentation.

The Witcher is a tragic figure. Most fear and hate Witchers because of their mutant status, and they are often viewed as sellswords and unnatural beings. Regardless of how the population feels, Witchers are sworn...

Warning! Spoilers for The Witcher: Blood Origin!

While the reception of The Witcher: Blood Origin has been mixed, it does fix one major complaint from Henry Cavill about The Witcher. This is particularly intriguing given that two months before the release of Blood Origin, Cavill announced that he would be departing The Witcher after season 3, with Liam Hemsworth succeeding him in the role. While the efforts of the prequel mini-series are too late to change the actor’s departure, it is still interesting to analyze what may have appealed to him and might signal the show’s direction for season 3.

Initially, it was thought that Cavill would play the infamous monster hunter throughout seven seasons of The Witcher, with other spinoffs such as Blood Origin and Nightmare of the Wolf developing the franchise's history alongside the main series. As these projects have been produced, Cavill has often expressed his...

This article contains spoilers for The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Set 1200 years before the events of The Witcher, The Witcher: Blood Origin tells the story of the Conjunction of the Spheres and how the Continent was changed forever. This four episode miniseries follows a band of warriors on their quest across the Continent as they make their way to the Elven capital of Xin’trea to stop the tyranny of the new Elven empire. The final episode is packed with fight scenes, world-ending events, haunting music, and reveals that leave us with more questions than answers.

Power, Revenge, and The Fight for Xin’trea

The final episode begins with Merwyn (Mirren Mack) sending her first scouting party through the monolith. She has decided to trust Balor (Lenny Henry) to guide Eredin (Jacob Collins-Levy) and his soldiers to another world even though Balor hasn’t really done anything to prove he’s...

This article contains spoilers for The Witcher: Blood Origin.The Witcher: Blood Origin's ending serves as setup for The Witcher season 3, revealing the truth behind the Conjunction of the Spheres and another prophecy that's sure to have a profound influence on Ciri's life. Inspired by Polish novelist Andrzej Sapkowski's books and short stories, Netflix's The Witcher series is set on a fantasy world plagued by monsters. Its protagonists, Henry Cavill's Geralt and Frey Allan's Ciri, live in a time foretold by ancient prophecies - and they will pay a fearful price to see these prophecies fulfilled.

Netflix hope to turn The Witcher into a massive franchise, and spinoffs such as The Witcher: Blood Origin are a crucial part of the streaming giant's plans. The main story of The Witcher: Blood Origin is set 1,200 years before the events of the main series, kicking off when Geralt's friend Jaskier...

The Witcher: Blood Origin is a 4 episode miniseries created by Lauren Schmidt and starring Michelle Yeoh, Sophia Brown and Laurence O’Fuarain.

The prequel to the series The Witcher that is now streaming, and sends the clear message: life carries on after Henry Cavil.

We still do not know how the fans will receive it, but in this mini-series, there are some spectacular fight scenes that very nimbly, and perhaps too often, have melodramatic moments.

Brutal and wild, nostalgic, captivating, ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ is a prequel that serves a foretaste for what is to come, though, truth be told, something has changed forever in The Witcher.

Synopsis

More than a thousand years before the world of The Witcher, seven outcasts in the elven world unite in a blood quest against an unstoppable power.

The Witcher: Blood Origin Release Date

December 25, 2022

Where to Watch The Witcher: Blood Origin

Netflix

The Witcher: Blood Origin...

The Witcher: Blood Origin drops on Netflix this Christmas day and while it is sure to be a gift for Witcher fans and everyone discovering the glory that is Michelle Yeoh (who appears as Scían), the cast didn’t always the merriest time nailing some of the dialogue. The brutal prequel series set 1200 years before The Witcher, Blood Origin is all about how the Elven society was colonized and what led to the creation of the very first demon-hunting Witcher. Over the span of the four-part miniseries — which also stars Minnie Driver (Seanchaí), Sophia Brown (Éile), Laurence O’Fuarain (Fjall), Mirren Mack (Merwyn), Lenny Henry (Balor), Lizzie Annis (Zacaré), Huw Novelli (Callan “Brother Death”), Francesca Mills (Meldof), Zach Wyatt (Syndril), and Joey Batey (reprising his role as Jaskier from the mothership) — seven outcasts from various tribes unite to battle a monolithic power. A misfit band for sure, these reluctant warriors wind...

The Witcher: Blood Origin is days away, with all 4 episodes premiering on Netflix in time for Christmas Day. The miniseries serves as a prequel for The Witcher, laying the foundation for the events transpiring in Geralt and Ciri's lives in the present day. Twelve hundred years ago, however, the Continent was a very different place with no humans or even Witchers in sight. Instead, the ancient city of Xin’trea was an Elven stronghold even as warring clans threatened to tear each other apart from within.

Blood Origin's title refers to the creation of the first Witcher as well as to the mysterious Conjunction of the Spheres that has been referred to time and again in the lore of the world. Before that catastrophic event, which will be explored in the new series, magic was approached very differently. For example, actors Lizzie Annis and Zach Wyatt play Zacaré and Syndril,...

To celebrate the release of The Witcher: Blood Origin, we spoke to the cast and creatives of the show.

Set 1200 years before the event of original The Witcher series, Blood Origin follows the downfall of the Elven empire as seven members of different clans band together.

We spoke with showrunners Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Declan De Barra on bringing this historic world to life and casting the new characters.

Lead actors Sophie Brown and Laurence O’Fuarain talk about working together as enemies turned allies and their explosive opening seen together whilst Zach Wyatt and Lizzie Annis speak about creating their incredible bond on the show.

Francesca Mills and Huw Novelli talk about comparing their weapons and both of their dramatic whilst Joey Batey and Lenny Henry speak on being familiar and new to The Witcher universe.

Finally, Minnie Drive speaks about playing an ancient mystical elf and bringing a serenity to her narration.

The Witcher: Blood Origin drops on Netflix this weekend, gifting a peek at the Continent in its heyday for Christmas Day. Taking place over a thousand years before The Witcher proper, the new miniseries serves as a prequel that promises to explain some of the mysteries that have followed Geralt of Rivia and Ciri since the first episode. The kingdom that viewers know as Cintra was once the elven city of Xin’trea, which is how it is introduced in Blood Origin before humans came to the Continent.

From that point, The Witcher: Blood Origin will pull back the curtain on the creation of the first Witcher and the events that led to the Conjunction of the Spheres. Key to both is Princess Merwyn (played by Sex Education's Mirren Mack) who, though she is royalty, feels trapped by her role in the palace and the preconceived notions of her worth as a woman.

Netflix will unveil a new chapter of “The Witcher” saga Christmas Day with the release of prequel story “Blood Origin.” Ahead of the full release of the first season, Variety has an exclusive look at an action-packed scene from the fantasy epic starring Sophia Brown and Michelle Yeoh.

In the clip above, Brown’s character Éile is gazing at a “beautiful” glowing creature poking out of a pond, only to find that part is just the tip of a horrifying anglerfish-insect-like monster that brings its snapping jaw filled with thousands of teeth right for Éile and her companions, including Yeoh’s Scian, who is already in a battle stance in preparation for a fight.

Per Netflix’s description for “Blood Origin,” which is a prequel to the streamer’s Henry Cavill-led “Witcher” adaptation, “Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of ‘The Witcher,’ ‘Blood Origin’ tells a...

Originally expected to be a six episode series, The Witcher prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin will be “a four-part special event” when it reaches the Netflix streaming service on December 25th. Our own Alex Maidy already had the chance to watch the show, giving it an 8/10 review you can read Here – and in his review he said, “The limited four-episode run is just long enough to build up the characters without overstaying its welcome. In fact, I would have enjoyed more episodes or even another standalone mini-series focused on this era.” During a recent interview with Netflix, showrunner Declan de Barra said the idea to cut the show down from six episodes to four came up in the editing room so the show could have “optimum story flow”.

The showrunner said, “This felt like a two-part movie. You never want to be watching a movie going, ‘I love this movie.

Plot: Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the planets of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.

Review: The appeal of The Witcher has been, at least for me, the performance of Henry Cavill. Having read the novels that inspired the video game and television series, seeing Geralt of Rivia embodied by an actor with as much presence as Cavill elevated the series from a pulpy distraction to destination viewing. Before Cavill’s third and final season as Geralt premieres in mid-2023, the first live-action spin-off series arrives on Christmas to tell the tale of how the Witchers came to be. Blood Origin, a four-episode prequel set twelve centuries before the main series, is...

"The Witcher: Blood Origin" is a folk tale, but it's not just any folk tale set in "The Witcher" world. It's a story a mysterious entity tells to everyone's favorite bard, Jaskier (Joey Batey), and it's a tale about events that took place 1,200 years before Henry Cavill's Geralt sardonically lazed about in hot tubs.

It's also a yarn that will have ramifications for the third season of "The Witcher", but don't let that bother you too much. It's best to take the limited series' four episodes as they are, and imagine yourself more than a little bit tipsy in one of the Continent's taverns, a full flagon of grog in your hands as Jaskier recounts the story about seven warriors forming an unlikely alliance (and channeling some strong "Seven Samurai" vibes) to stop a certain set of spheres from converging.

Without getting into specifics, the plot of "Blood Origin" isn't all that surprising,...

Ahead of “The Witcher” Season 3 next summer, spinoff series “The Witcher: Blood Origin” is coming to Netflix December 25, 2022, and the full official trailer has arrived this week.

Watch the brand new trailer below, which previews this four-part Netflix event series.

“The Witcher: Blood Origin” is set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of “The Witcher” and will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype 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.

The cast includes Minnie Driver (Seanchaí), Laurence O’Fuarain (Fjall), Sophia Brown (Éile), Michelle Yeoh (Scían), Mirren Mack (Merwyn), Lenny Henry (Balor), Jacob Collins Levy (Eredin), Lizzie Annis (Zacaré), Huw Novelli (Callan “Brother Death”), Francesca Mills (Meldof), Amy Murray (Fenrik), Nathaniel Curtis (Brían), Zach Wyatt (Syndril), and Dylan Moran (Uthrok One-Nut). Joey Batey (“The Witcher...

Netflix has launched the trailer ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ where it was revealed that fan favourite Joey Batey will star as Jaskier in the 4 part event series.

Overseen by showrunner and writer Declan de Barra. It is directed by Sarah O’Gorman and Vicky Jewson and executive produced by Lauren Hissrich, Matt O’Toole, Platige Films (Tomek Baginski & Jarek Sawko), Hivemind (Jason Brown & Sean Daniel).

Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the world of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.

Adding a sensational cast to the Witcher Universe, Sophia Brown and Laurence O’Fuarain play Éile and Fjall, two warriors estranged from their opposing clans, Michelle Yeoh takes the role of Scían, a sword master, the last of her tribe,...

There are several untold stories lingering in the background of The Witcher, both for fans of the Netflix series and for those who have read the Andrzej Sapkowski novels. One is the history of the once great elven race, fallen into second class citizenry in the modern age. Another is the tale of the conjunction of the spheres which brought monsters and humans to this world, and then, on a related note, there are the mysterious origins of witcher kind. The Witcher: Blood Origin seeks to address all of these storylines.

And who better to tell these epic tales than a bard? Jaskier was always such a popular character in the original series; why not introduce him as a crossover character for The Witcher: Blood Origin? The latest trailer does just that: revealing the troubadour’s participation in the prequel during its climactic conclusion. There’s only one problem: the...

Netflix has released its trailer and key art for ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ and has also revealed that Joey Batey will star as Jaskier in the four-part series. It will bow on Sunday, December 25, reports ‘Deadline’.

Set in an elven world 1,200 years before the one of ‘The Witcher’, ‘Blood Origin’ will narrate the tale of the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the world of monsters, men and elves merged to become one.

Sophia Brown and Laurence O’Fuarain, according to ‘Deadline’, play Éile and Fjall, two warriors estranged from their opposing clans; Michelle Yeoh takes the role of Scian, a sword master, the last of her tribe; Mirren Mack is Princess Merwyn; Lenny Henry plays Chief Sage Balor; and Minnie Driver stars as a Seanchai.

Francesca Mills is Meldof, Zach Wyatt and Lizzie Annis are celestial twin...

Henry Cavill may be exiting Netflix's "Witcher" franchise, but there are lots of other faces ready to flesh out this fantasy universe -- and I'm not talking about teen heartthrob Gale Hawthorne. Prequel series "The Witcher: Blood Origin" is set to debut later this month with a star-studded cast and a particularly action-ready headliner at the helm. I'm happy to report that Michelle Yeoh is wielding a sword in the latest trailer for the upcoming series, which means it's time to cancel your holiday plans and prepare for a four-part binge on Christmas day!

Created by "The Witcher" writer Declan de Barra, "Blood Origin" takes place 1,200 years before Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri come together. Instead, we follow seven strangers who join together against an unstoppable empire. Their journey will not only lead to the creation of the very first Witcher, but will also reveal more about the Conjunction of the Spheres,...

Netflix has released its trailer and key art for The Witcher: Blood Origin at the Ccxp event in Brazil, also revealing that Joey Batey will star as Jaskier in the four-part series. It will bow on Sunday, December 25.

Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell the tale of the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the world of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.

Sophia Brown and Laurence O’Fuarain play Éile and Fjall, two warriors estranged from their opposing clans, Michelle Yeoh takes the role of Scían, a sword master, the last of her tribe, Mirren Mack is Princess Merwyn, Lenny Henry plays Chief Sage Balor, and Minnie Driver stars as a Seanchaí. Francesca Mills is Meldof, Zach Wyatt and Lizzie Annis are celestial twin sages Syndril and Zacaré.

Netflix has unveiled the full-length trailer for The Witcher spinoff Blood Origin.

The footage dropped Saturday at Brazil Comic Con, and fans were introduced to a prequel set 1,200 years before the events of the original Netflix series.

The moment that will likely get everyone talking is the arrival of Joey Batey as Jaskier in the closing moments.

It's a big moment and suggests Jaskier will play a pivotal role in telling everyone about the events of the troubling time before humans existed in the Witcher universe.

“Set in an elven world 1,200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the world of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.”

The four-part spinoff stars Sophia Brown and Laurence O’Fuarain as Éile and Fjall,...

The first trailer for Netflix’s Witcher prequel series has arrived, and it includes a fun surprise for fans of a certain bard.

Unveiled on Saturday at Comic Con Experience in Brazil, the trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin ends with the return of Joey Batey as everyone’s favorite lute aficionado Jaskier. It’ll make more sense once you’ve seen the whole trailer. Or maybe it won’t. But hey, when have we let that stop us from enjoying this franchise?

More from TVLineHarry & Meghan Doc Sets Release Date at Netflix -- Plus, Watch a New TrailerThe Midnight...

“The Witcher” star Joey Batey is set to appear in the upcoming prequel series “The Witcher: Blood Origin.”

The announcement was made as part of Ccxp in Brazil on Saturday. Batey will reprise the role of Jaskier in the four-part “Blood Origin” series, whom he has played in both seasons of “The Witcher” to date. The reveal was made during the launch of the first full trailer for “Blood Origin,” which can be seen below.

“Blood Origin” will debut on Dec. 25. Per the official logline, the series is “set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of ‘The Witcher.’ It will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the world of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.”

The cast of the series includes Sophia Brown, Laurence O’Fuarain, Michelle Yeoh,...

Netflix dropped a new “The Witcher: Blood Origin” trailer at Ccxp down in Brazil on Saturday, offering a closer look at the four-part prequel event series and revealing that fan-favorite character Jaskier (Joey Batey) from the flagship Netflix series makes an appearance.

Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of “The Witcher,” “Blood Origin” will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the world of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.

By the looks of this trailer the show is a bit more action/martial arts-heavy than the Henry Cavill-fronted original series, but it also looks to offer up answers to big questions posed in “The Witcher” – namely what in the world are those monoliths and what do they do.

Also Read:

Liam Hemsworth In, Henry...

James Norton has been set to lead the West End stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s bestselling novel A Little Life. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2015, the emotional story follows four college friends in New York City. Ivo van Hove is directing the 12-week run at the Harold Pinter Theatre which begins on March 25.

Also starring are Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson, Omari Douglas (It’s A Sin), Zach Wyatt (The Witcher), Elliot Cowan (The Crown), Zubin Varla (Tammy Faye), Nathalie Armin (Force Majeure) and Emilio Doorgasingh (The Kite Runner).

London, England – October 12: Hanya Yanagihara author of A Little Life, at a Photocall for the Man Booker Prize 2015 Shortlisted Authors, at the Royal Festival Hall on October 12, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)

The quartet of friends is made up of aspiring actor Willem (Thompson), successful architect Malcolm (Wyatt), struggling artist Jb (Douglas) and...

Netflix has debuted a teaser trailer for the Netflix series ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin.’

Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal conjunction of the spheres, when the world of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.

Sophia Brown and Laurence O’Fuarain play Éile and Fjall, two warriors estranged from their opposing clans, Michelle Yeoh takes the role of Scían, a sword master, the last of her tribe, Mirren Mack is Princess Merwyn, Lenny Henry plays Chief Sage Balor and Minnie Driver plays Seanchaí. Francesca Mills is Meldof, Zach Wyatt and Lizzie Annis are celestial twins Syndril and Zacaré. Huw Novelli is Brother Death.

The four-part series, overseen by showrunner and writer Declan de Barra, is directed by Sarah O’Gorman and...

The one-minute teaser trailer for Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin reveals the world of elves before the events of The Witcher. The teaser for the four-part prequel was accompanied by new posters featuring the characters Scían (Michelle Yeoh), Fjall (Laurence O’Fuarain), and Éile (Sophia Brown).

The event series’ cast also includes Minnie Driver as Seanchaí, Mirren Mack as Merwyn, Lenny Henry as Balor, Jacob Collins Levy as Eredin, and Lizzie Annis as Zacaré. Huw Novelli plays Callan “Brother Death”, Francesca Mills is Meldof, Amy Murray is Fenrik, Nathaniel Curtis stars as Brían, Zach Wyatt is Syndril, Dylan Moran is Uthrok One-Nut, and Joey Batey is Jaskier.

Declan de Barra created the series and serves as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Lauren Hissrich, Matt O’Toole, Tomek Baginski and Jarek Sawko (Platige Films), and Jason Brown & Sean Daniel (Hivemind Content). Sarah O’Gorman and Vicky Jewson directed the prequel.

Henry Cavill may be exiting Netflix’s “Witcher” franchise, but Michelle Yeoh is on deck to lead the four-part prequel series “The Witcher: Blood Origin.”

Netflix released a new teaser for “Blood Origin,” which takes places 1,200 years before the events of “The Witcher.” The prequel series will explore the creation of the first prototype Witcher and the events leading to the Conjunction of the Spheres.

The first teaser trailer for “Blood Origin” was revealed after the credits rolled on the Season 2 finale of “The Witcher,” which dropped on Netflix in December 2021. The teaser introduced Yeoh as the deadly Scian, the last member of a nomadic tribe of sword-elves on a quest to retrieve a blade stolen from her people — along with Sophia Brown as Éile and Laurence O’Fuarain as Fjall. The cast includes Mirren Mack as Merwyn, Lenny Henry as Balor, Jacob Collins as Eredin, Lizzie Annis as Zacaré, Huw Novelli as Callan “Brother Death,...

Originally expected to be a six episode series, The Witcher prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin has been condensed into “a four-part special event” that will be reaching the Netflix streaming service on December 25th. With the premiere date just over a month away, a teaser trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin has arrived online, and you can check it out in the embed above!

Set in “an elven world” 1200 years before the events we saw in The Witcher, The Witcher: Blood Origin tells a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype 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.

Blood Origin stars Laurence O’Fuarain as Fjall, who was born into a clan of warriors sworn to protect a King and is now on a quest for redemption; Sophia Brown as Éile,...

Ahead of “The Witcher” Season 3 next summer, spinoff series “The Witcher: Blood Origin” is coming to Netflix December 25, 2022, and the official teaser trailer has arrived today.

Watch the teaser trailer below, which previews this four-part Netflix event series.

“The Witcher: Blood Origin” is set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of “The Witcher” and will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype 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.

The cast includes Minnie Driver (Seanchaí), Laurence O’Fuarain (Fjall), Sophia Brown (Éile), Michelle Yeoh (Scían), Mirren Mack (Merwyn), Lenny Henry (Balor), Jacob Collins Levy (Eredin), Lizzie Annis (Zacaré), Huw Novelli (Callan “Brother Death”), Francesca Mills (Meldof), Amy Murray (Fenrik), Nathaniel Curtis (Brían), Zach Wyatt (Syndril), Dylan Moran (Uthrok One-Nut), and Joey Batey (Jaskier). Directors are Sarah O’Gorman and Vicky Jewson.

Netflix is making 2023 the year of “The Witcher.”

Announced at the streamer’s fan event Tudum on Saturday, the “Witcher” spinoff series “The Witcher: Blood Origin” will debut on Dec. 25, and Season 3 of the main “Witcher” show will follow in the summer of 2023.

Fans last visited “The Witcher” universe nearly one year ago, when Season 2 of the Henry Cavill fantasy series dropped in December 2021. Since then, it’s spawned even more spinoffs. In addition to the “Blood Origin” limited series, an anime feature is on the way and a family-friendly “Witcher” series is in the works.

Not much is known about “The Witcher” Season 3, but it will continue the story of Geralt of Rivia (Cavill), Ciri (Freya Allan) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra). Joining the cast are Robbie Amell, Meng’er Zhang, Hugh Skinner and Christelle Elwin. Amell plays an elven fighter named Gallatin, who leads an army of guerrilla Scoia’tael fighting on behalf of Nilfgaard.

Netflix had announced that the prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin, which is set in “an elven world” 1200 years before the events we saw in The Witcher, would have a six episode run. But now the Witcher fan site Redanian Intelligance reports that they’ve heard the show is being condensed from six episodes down to four.

Here’s the Redanian Intelligence report:

Keep in mind that the footage was already shot as six episodes, which likely means heavier editing and potentially lots of footage on the cutting room floor. To support that, we learned the writing credits for all of the Blood Origin episodes and they go like this:

Episode 1: Declan de Barra

Episode 2: Alex Meenehan/Aaron Stewart-Ahn

Episode 3: Tania Lotia/Kiersten Van Horne

Episode 4: Declan de Barra/Tasha Huo

We can’t claim to know all the ins and outs of how crediting works...

Move over, Geralt, because there’s a new badass hero in the “Witcher” universe: Michelle Yeoh.

The first teaser trailer for the prequel series “The Witcher: Blood Origin” was released to fans who stuck around after the credits rolled on Season 2 of “The Witcher,” which dropped on Netflix Friday morning. It’s the first look at the spinoff series, which is set thousands of years before the adventures of Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer in the mainline “Witcher” show.

The teaser focuses on a trio of elves, played by Michelle Yeoh, Laurence O’Fuarain and Sophia Brown, who travel the wilderness and fight several groups of soldiers. It seems like they band together on their journey and recruit others, but at one point in the teaser the three heroes cross swords with each other.

Yeoh plays the deadly Scian, the last member of a nomadic tribe of sword-elves on a mission to...

Netflix has handed an early renewal to the widely popular series The Witcher, greenlighting Season 3 months before Season 2 drops in December.

The streamer unveiled a slew of The Witcher news at its virtual fan event Tudum on Saturday. The Witcher, which was one of Netflix’s most popular shows of 2019, stars Henry Cavill as the grim Geralt of Rivia, the bane of supernatural beasties, in a story of the intertwined destinies of three individuals in the vast world of The Continent, where humans, elves, witchers, gnomes, and monsters battle to survive and thrive, and where good and evil is not easily identified.

Set to debut on December 17, The Witcher Season 2 will follow Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia who, convinced that Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) died at the gruesome Battle of Sodden, seeks to bring Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan) to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen.

Come on down for The Price Is Right‘s 50th season celebration! The daytime program will mark the milestone with a two-hour primetime special, airing Thursday, Sept. 30 at 9/8c on CBS. It will include “a look back at the biggest winners, never before seen outtakes and a salute to Bob Barker,” per the official release. “Plus, contestants will come on down to play iconic pricing games for extravagant luxury cars and big cash prizes.”

Additionally, beginning Monday, Sept. 13, the daytime show will feature a game each day that week where contestants can win up to a million dollars.

More from...

Netflix fantasy prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin has been expanding its cast list as filming gets underway in the UK. The latest additions to the show, which charts the creation of the first Witcher and what took place in the time before the pivotal Conjunction of the Spheres, when all worlds joined to become one, are Lenny Henry, Mirren Mack, Nathaniel Curtis and Dylan Moran. This adds the series leads of Laurence O'Fuarain, Sophia Brown and Michelle Yeoh in the highly anticipated six-part show.

The new additions see British icon Lenny Henry, who has also recently been filming for Amazon's Lord of The Rings series, taking on the role of Balor. Mack plays Merwyn, Curtis will be Brían and Moran joins in the role of Uthrok One-Nut, and it seems that the additional cast members doesn't stop there either. Also joing are Jacob Collins Levy as Eredin, Lizzie Annis as Zacare,...

Like other explorations into the world of The Witcher, the upcoming spin-off prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin both expands upon and provides context for the main series. With Netflix announcing the limited series’ cast, most of whom are playing elven characters, a few questions arise. How are the elves involved in the creation of the witcher race, and why is the so-called “conjunction of the spheres” at the center of not only this origin story but also the beginning of the fall of the elves?

UK fans may recognize a few faces among the cast, including comedian and children’s television cult star Lenny Henry who will play Balor, Dylan Moran (Black Books) who will play the humorously named Uthrok One-Nut, and Huw Novelli (The Capture), playing Callan “Brother Death.” But there are also several stage actors such as Zach Wyatt who will play the role of Syndril and Amy Murray who will portray Fenrik,...

“The Witcher: Blood Origin,” Netflix’s live-action prequel series to the fantasy show starring Henry Cavill, is growing its cast even more with 10 new cast members.

Mirren Mack will play Merwyn; Lenny Henry will play Balor; Jacob Collins will play Eredin; Lizzie Annis will play Zacaré; Huw Novelli will play Callan “Brother Death;” Francesca Mills will play Meldof; Amy Murray will play Fenrik; Nathaniel Curtis will play Brían; Zach Wyatt will play Syndril; and Dylan Moran will play Uthrok One-Nut.

Sarah O’Gorman and Vicky Jewson will each direct three episodes of the six-episode limited series.

Set in an elven world 1,200 years before the world of “The Witcher,” the prequel series “Blood Origin” will tell a story lost to time, including the creation of the first prototype 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.

Exclusive: Lenny Henry (Lord Of the Rings Series), Mirren Mack (The Nest), Nathaniel Curtis (It’s A Sin) and Dylan Moran (Black Books) are among cast to join Netflix fantasy series The Witcher: Blood Origin, which is now filming in the UK.

Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell chart the creation of the first prototype 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.

Laurence O’Fuarain (Vikings), Sophia Brown (Marcella) and Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians) lead the six-part prequel series.

Also newly joining are Jacob Collins Levy (Young Wallander) in the role of Eredin, Lizzie Annis in the role of Zacaré, Huw Novelli (The Capture) in the role of Callan “Brother Death”, Francesca Mills (Harlots) in the role of Meldof, Amy Murray in the...

Monte-Carlo TV Festival Unveils Competition Lineup

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival has signaled its intention to host an in-person event on June 18-22 by announcing its competition lineup. Some 27 programs from 14 countries have been officially selected to compete, with winners announced at the Golden Nymph Awards Ceremony on June 22 at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. The nominees include Keshet series Line In The Sand and HBO Max/Channel 4’s AIDS crisis drama It’s A Sin. The full lineup can be found here. Laurent Puons, CEO of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, said: “We have wide-ranging and exceptional global content nominated for Golden Nymph Awards. The number of programs participating in the competition, shows the ever-growing interest of productions and talent to claim this trophy, a timeless symbol of internationally recognized quality. This enthusiasm confirms that our event remains the pre-eminent Festival in Europe.”

‘Outlander’s Lauren Lyle Joins ITV’s ‘Karen Pirie...