The Witcher: Blood Origin showrunner Declan De Barra has revealed that he wishes to make even more spin-offs of an already expanding Netflix franchise.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is set 1200 years before the events of the original series and shows the events leading to the Conjunction of the Spheres and the creation of the first Witcher.
This four-episode miniseries is the second spin-off of The Witcher franchise after The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.
It was released by Netflix on Christmas and boasts a star cast including Michael Yeoh, Sophia Brown, and Minnie Driver. It also features Joey Batey as the fan-favorite bard Jaskier.
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, De Barra hinted at the possibility of adding more spin-offs to the ever-expanding franchise. He also praised the original novelist Andrzej Sapkowski and hailed him as “the king of the closed-ended story”.
The showrunner talked about the advantages of creating standalone spin-offs within a shared universe, saying that they help expand the story outwards and add different perspectives.
Here is what he had to say:
Sapkowski is the king of the closed ended story, the more we read of his books, the broader the tapestry of the world. So that’s the advantage of doing all these – they might be standalone pieces, but they paint another side to this world and expand it outward. That’s the fun part.
So, what is next for the franchise?
The fans are waiting for Henry Cavill’s return as Geralt of Rivia for the last time before handing the mantle over to Liam Hemsworth in season 4.
No release date has been finalized for season 3, but Netflix said it will be sometime in the summer of 2023. Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has guaranteed that the season 3 finale will give Cavill the most heroic sendoff ever.
While it remains to be seen how the fans will accept Hemsworth as the lead protagonist, it has not stopped Netflix from investing heavily in the franchise.
In last year’s TUDUM fan event, Netflix announced plans for a second animated movie after The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and a family-friendly series in the same universe. However, the streaming giant has not yet released details about these additions.
Additionally, there are rumors about a new spin-off series featuring a group of criminals and Nilfgaardian misfits called The Rats. In the canon books, the Rats are featured in Ciri’s story and will also feature in The Witcher season 3, as confirmed by Netflix.
Though these are all conjectures, we can be sure that The Witcher: Blood Origin will not be the last standalone spin-off in The Witcher universe.
About The Witcher: Blood Origin
The Witcher: Blood Origin is a four-episode fantasy miniseries adapted from The Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. It also serves as a prequel to Netflix’s The Witcher.
It is set 1200 years before the events of The Witcher, and will depict the creation of the first Witcher, alongside events leading to the “Conjunction of the Spheres”. Additionally, it will explore the ancient Elven civilization before its demise.
The main cast includes Sophia Brown as Éile, Laurence O’Fuarain as Fjall, and Michelle Yeoh as Scian.
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