The Witcher: Blood Origin

Did You Know?

• The series depicts the creation of the first Witcher and the events leading to the Conjunction of the Spheres.
• It explores the ancient Elven civilization Xin'trea before its demise.
• Geralt of Rivia's bard ally Jaskier is saved from a war by the mysterious elf Seanchai, who has him write down the untold legend of seven warriors.

Cast and characters

Sophia Brown portrays Éile, a warrior of the Queen's guard and member of the Raven Clan who leaves to become a traveling musician, with Minee Mais playing young Éile. Laurence O'Fuarain plays Fjall, an elf born into a clan of warriors called the Dog Clan sworn to protect a king, who instead sets out in need of vengeance after the Empress betrays his clan. Mirren Mack appears as Merwyn, the history-obsessed Princess of Xin'trea whose life is controlled by her brother King Alvatir, but who seeks to forge her own path. Lenny Henry plays Chief Druid Balor, a mage who has learned how to open gates to other worlds and has a plan of his own. Jacob Collins-Levy portrays Eredin, the commander of the Xin'trean army, with several secrets. Joey Batey appears as Jaskier, a bard who once traveled with Geralt of Rivia and who is saved from likely death by the mysterious Seanchai. Zach Wyatt plays Syndril, the elfin mage who has discovered how to open gates between worlds, and Lizzie Annis portrays Zacaré, an elfin mage who is Syndril's celestial twin. Huw Novelli plays Callan "Brother Death", a retired sellsword who tracks down Éile, Fjall and Scían. Francesca Mills appears as Meldof, a dwarf on a quest of revenge who wields a war hammer named after her late wife Gwen who was raped and killed by Xin'trean soldiers. Amy Murray plays Fenrik, Balor's druid apprentice who is deaf. Minnie Driver portrays Seanchai, a mysterious figure who rescues Jaskier because she wants him to tell a tale about the "Conjunction of the Spheres". Michelle Yeoh appears as Scían, the last member of a nomadic tribe of sword-elves called the Ghost Clan who is on a mission to retrieve a blade stolen from her people. Dylan Moran plays Uthrok One-Nut, a sellsword colleague of Scían's. Mark Rowley portrays Alvatir, the King of Xin'trea and brother of Merwynn who tried to unify the clans. Hiftu Quasem appears as Voice of Light, an unknown being who Balor interacts with in another world. Ella Schrey-Yeats plays Ithlinne, a young girl with powers of vision with whom Eile becomes friends. Ozioma Whenu appears as Níamh, the sister of Eile. Kim Adis plays Ket, the servant of Merwynn. Kerri Quinn portrays Aevenien, the mother of Ithlinne. Karlina Grace-Paseda appears as Cethlenn, the chief of Raven Clan and the mother of Eile and Níamh, with Shanika Ocean playing young Cethlenn.

Production

Netflix ordered a six-episode prequel to its Witcher series in July 2020, tapping Declan de Barra as showrunner. Jodie Turner-Smith was set to lead the cast in January 2021, but left that April because of schedule conflicts. Production started in the UK in August 2021, with Lenny Henry, Mirren Mack, Nathaniel Curtis, and Dylan Moran later joining. By November 2021, de Barra confirmed shooting was complete and the project had moved into post-production.

Reception

On Metacritic, the show earned a 45 out of 100 from 15 critics, which signals mixed or average reception. David Griffin at IGN liked the special effects, action sequences, and the "engaging band of misfits" at the story's center, but found the villains uninteresting. Zosha Millman of Polygon called it mundane, arguing the series never pauses to explore what makes the Witcher universe unique or meaningful, instead feeling like a rushed, careless attempt to push out more Witcher content. Andrew Webster at The Verge noted that without Geralt or another strong lead, the show lacks the spark to stand alone. Therese Lacson of Collider criticized the "slapdash storylines" and "half-baked" villains, saying the show too often veers into camp, cringe, or melodrama. Darren Mooney at The Escapist described it as a "bloody mess" and a "spectacular misfire," with uninteresting characters and clumsy, ineffective editorial choices. Niv M. Sultan of Slant Magazine wrote that the series feels too rushed and scattered to go beyond the surface of its world and characters. Vicky Jessop of the London Evening Standard found it hard to care about the characters' fates. David Opie at Digital Spy also faulted the cast, saying most characters—and thus the series itself—remain frustratingly limited.