'The Witcher: Blood Origin': Everything to Know

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Netflix's hit fantasy show got a prequel series.

Set hundreds of years before the events of The Witcher, which is based on Andrzej Sapkowski's book series of the same name, The Witcher: Blood Origin tells a new tale in Sapkowski's fantasy world.

The limited spinoff series takes place in a "pre-colonized" elven world — before humans and monsters entered the picture — and also tells the story of the first Witcher prototype. "I just was fascinated with the idea of what a pre-colonized world would look like for the elves," showrunner Declan de Barra told Entertainment Weekly. "That fascinated me to wonder what that world could have been: what society would have been like and what elves wanted. That's what we're going to explore here."

Although fans are sure to miss their favorite monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia (who was played by Henry Cavill for the show's first three seasons before it was announced that Liam Hemsworth would be taking over), a star-studded cast has helped usher in a new era of The Witcher universe.

Keep reading for everything there is to know about The Witcher: Blood Origin.

When was The Witcher: Blood Origin released?

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While fans will have to wait until late 2023 for season 3 of the flagship series, all four episodes of The Witcher: Blood Origin have been available to stream since Dec. 25, 2022.

"This felt like a two-part movie. You never want to be watching a movie going, 'I love this movie.' And then you start to look at your watch going, 'Oh, please end soon,'  I never wanted there to be any moment where we're just stringing the audience along to have an episode," de Barra told Netflix's Tudum of the decision to reduce the episode count to four.

What is The Witcher: Blood Origin about?

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In the fictional world depicted by The Witcher, elves are lowly, persecuted creatures who were colonized by humans centuries prior. Now, with The Witcher: Blood Origin, viewers get to see a time when elves thrived — the Golden Era of Elves — in addition to their ultimate downfall. "Viewers will be surprised because they're going to see a story told about a period of elven history that was buried by the humans after their arrival and eventual conquest of the continent," de Barra told Tudum. "We get to tell a tale about the elves when they were at their height, like all great societies before their fall."

The series also explains how the Witchers — mythical monster slayers such as Geralt — first came to be. And like its predecessor, The Witcher: Blood Origin features plenty of magic and action-packed fighting scenes, as well as many Easter eggs from the original show.

Who is in the cast?

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With a diverse cast and some familiar faces, The Witcher: Blood Origin is already shaping up to carry on the legacy of The Witcher.

The series centers on three main characters. British actress Sophia Brown plays Éile, a warrior elf with dreams of becoming a traveling musician, Everything Everywhere All at Once star Michelle Yeoh is Scían, the last of a nomadic tribe of sword-elves, and Irish actor Laurence O'Fuarain stars as Fjall, an elf warrior on a personal mission of vengeance.

Rounding out the cast is Minnie Driver, Sex Education's Mirren Mack and Jacob Collins-Levy, among others.

Is there a trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin?

Netflix released the first official trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin on Nov. 10, 2022. In it, viewers caught glimpses of Yeoh's character's sword-wielding skills and got a first look at the idyllic elven world. The short clip also packed in tons of intense fight scenes.