Netflix has released an officialTheWitcher: Blood Origintrailer and poster. The reveal comes in the wake of big changes to the cast of the company’s mainline series based on the same IP.
Based on the highly successful book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski,The Witchertells the story of Geralt of Rivia, a member of an elite group of magically augmented humans known as Witchers created to serve as monster hunters in Sapowski’s medieval-style fantasy world. Along with Geralt, the series also focuses on Ciri, a young princess linked to Geralt by destiny, and a powerful sorceress named Yennefer, who also serves as a love interest. The series was an immediate success, thanks, in part, to the casting of Henry Cavill in the lead role and the popularity of the video game series, which is widely regarded asone of the best video games based on books.
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In light of the series’ success, the powers that be behind the recent adaptation have decided to forge ahead with more content.Netflixhas released a trailer for the soon to b released projectThe Witcher: Blood Origin, which will be set in the same universe as the main series but will cover events that happened in the far past. The format issimilar to that ofDune: The Sisterhood, which began filming in November 2022, as both explore the past of recently reestablished franchises. Netflix also released a captivating poster for the new project, which is billed as a four-part event set in theWitcheruniverse.
TheWitcher: Blood Origintrailer begins by sampling the gorgeous costuming done for the cast while sweeping over majestic terrain and settling on a city as the stage is set by voiceover revealing the period and setting. Fans are also met with a harsh scene of brutality and an enigmatic monolith that work to set the stage for the show’s central conflict. The rest of the trailer is standard fare, with stirring speeches and exciting action scenes that are sure to delight everyone watching. While interesting, the trailer adds little to what isknown so far aboutThe Witcher: Blood Origin: it will serve as an origin story for Witchers and provide some serious world-building for fans who haven’t read the books.
The Witcher: Blood Originis off to a good start, with the cast featuring Sophia Brown, Laurence O’Fuarain, Michelle Yeoh, Mirren Mack, Lenny Henry, Minnie Driver, Francesca Mills, Zach Wyatt, Lizzie Annis, and Huw Novelli. Fans of the franchise will certainly be looking forward to getting their hands on the new work, which is being released at a time whenmany fans still feel bad about Cavill being recastand replaced by Liam Hemsworth for the fourth season of the main show. The situation has escalated enough that there’s a petition on Change.org to give Cavill the role back and dismiss the writers, who many think are to blame for the change.
While a spin-off is always good news for fans, the casting changes onThe Witchermight spell some trouble for the direction ofBlood Origin, with many would-be critics pointing toCavill’s decision to leaveThe Witcherpossibly having to do with the source material and unfaithful adaptations of it. Whether the changes will make or break the two adaptations will have to be seen in the future.
The Witcher: Blood Originwill be released on Netflix on July 03, 2025.
