Meet The Full Cast Of The Witcher: Blood Origin

When The Witcher first landed on Netflix at the end of 2018, the series was an instant sensation. Based on a mixture of the short stories and novels by Andrzej Sapkowski with a heavy dose of the video game based on the same, the Henry Cavill-led series took the fandom by storm. But, much like Bridgerton that followed, Netflix execs realized one new season every two years wasn’t going to be enough. Enter, The Witcher: Blood Origins, a prequel series set in the same universe hundreds of years before the events of The Witcher. There’s tons to know about The Witcher: Blood Origin, from casting news to hints that the spinoff will be just as epic as the original. So, let’s get to it.

The Witcher: Blood Origins is one of three Witcher stories currently on its way to Netflix. The first, The Witcher Season 2, is the continuation of the Cavill series, which recently wrapped filming and is expected to arrive before the end of 2021. The second, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, is an animated feature film focused on the story of Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir, as a young man.

Blood Origins is a six-episode live-action limited series set even further back in the past than Nightmare of the Wolf. It will focus on the once-in-a-millennia event known as the “Conjunction of the Spheres,” which was also the moment of the creation of the first Witcher.

Here’s what else fans should know about the new series:

The Witcher: Blood Origin Cast

When Blood Origin announced casting back in January 2021, the series had Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn) attached to star in the lead role of Éile. The character is described as “an elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess, who has left her clan and position as Queen’s guardian to follow her heart as a nomadic musician.” Unfortunately, since then, Turner-Smith has had to exit the production due to scheduling conflicts. Her replacement will be Sophia Brown, who fans of British mysteries will recognize at Leann from Marcella.

But whoever does take that role has at least one significant co-star already set: Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh has starred in everything from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Crazy Rich Asians to the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Here, she’ll play Scian, the very last of her nomadic tribe of sword-elves who is legendary with her blade.

Also announced to star in the new series is Laurence O’Fuarain (Vikings), who will play Fjall, part of an elite coterie of warriors who serve the protect the king.

On Aug. 17, as filming for the new series got underway, the production confirmed the rest of the main cast. According to Deadline, the biggest name is Sir Lenny Henry (also slated to appear in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series), who will play chief druid Balor.

Other major co-stars who had their roles announced: Mirren Mack (The Nest) as Princess Merwyn, Nathaniel Curtis (It’s A Sin) as Brían, and Dylan Moran (Black Books) as Uthrok One-Nut. Other actors in the new series: Jacob Collins-Levy (Young Wallander) as Eredin, Huw Novelli (The Capture) as Callan “Brother Death,” Francesca Mills (Harlots) as Meldof, Zach Wyatt (Karen Pirie) as Syndril, and newcomers Amy Murray as Fenrik and Lizzie Annis as Zacaré.

The Witcher: Blood Origin Teaser

With filming only just underway in August 2021, there’s no footage for Blood Origin at this time. Fans hope for key art or a logo soon.

The Witcher: Blood Origin Plot

Not much is known about this The Witcher prequel so far, but here’s the original synopsis from when the show was first announced back in July 2020:

Set in an elven world 1,200 years before the world of The Witcher, the show will chart the origins 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.

The Witcher: Blood Origin Release Date

As of now, there are no specific release dates for any of the Witcher series on their way to Netflix, but here’s what we know: Nightmare of the Wolf is slated to arrive Aug. 23, 2021, The Witcher Season 2 will premiere on Dec. 17, 2021. Blood Origins expected to be slated to follow in 2022, though whether it arrives in August or December remains to be seen.