Only 3 years since Netflix premiered the first season of their fantasy series The Witcher, the original series’ showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and writer Declan de Barra are taking fans back to the beginning in The Witcher: Blood Origin. Based on the novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski, Blood Origin is set 1200 years before the events of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), and will explore The Witcher multiverse before the monsters plagued the Continent, as well as how the proto-Witcher came to be.

Blood Origin will feature an ensemble cast that fans know will see Joey Batey reprising his role as Jaskier, and will introduce Sophia Brown as Éile, Michelle Yeoh as Scian, Laurence O’Fuarain as Fjall, Minnie Driver as Seanchaí, Mirren Mack as Merwyn, Lenny Henry as Balor, Nathaniel Curtis as Brían, Dylan Moran as Uthrok One-Nut, and Jacob Collins-Levy as Eredin.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY
With the prequel premiering exclusively on Netflix this December 25, Hissrich and De Barra (who now serves as Blood Origin’s showrunner) sat down with Collider’s Steve Weintraub. During their interview, they share what they’re most looking forward to for fans of the universe to see, and discuss the elven culture and how they fell on hard times during The Witcher. They also talk new, “beautiful songs,” the endless possibilities of exploring this world with future spinoffs, and how the switch to Liam Hemsworth will affect filming for The Witcher Season 4. You can watch the interview in the video above, or read the full transcript below.

COLLIDER: I am curious for both of you, what are you actually most excited for fans to see in the prequel series?

DECLAN DE BARRA: For me, it’s exciting the fans by showing the elves in a different light. For me, one of the most fascinating things in the Sapkowski books was, how did they fall so far from being such a strong species on the continent? How do they get to the point where the pre-agrarian and barely functioning and are having trouble reproducing? How do they fall? And getting to see them at their height in a very different light with different costuming, and they’re seeing what their architecture was like and their music and science and magic, how it’s very different to the world of The Witcher. So it’s surprising, but still complimentary to that world. That’s the bit I’m excited about.

LAUREN HISSRICH: I could list out a million things as Witcher mom that I’m excited about, things that will lead into the main series. But just stepping back, because I’ve watched the series many times, and I think it’s amazing. I’m really excited for fans to hear the original music, I have to say. Declan is a musician. His skills are all over Witcher Season 1 and 2. And the fact that we get such beautiful songs that I believe are going to stick in people’s heads, they’re so emotional, they’re so heart-wrenching. As a fan, I would say that’s the thing I’m most excited for everyone to see.

Image via Netflix

I’m curious, Lauren, with the popularity of the series, do you think that there will be more prequel series or spinoffs? Is that something that Netflix is talking about with live-action stuff?

HISSRICH: I think the stories that we have in our back pockets, the things that Sapkowski sets out for us that I will never be able to cover in the main Witcher series, I think the possibilities are endless. I think it really depends on the continued appetite for fans to show up and see more of these stories.

DE BARRA: And it fits into the world of Sapkowski as well because he’s the king of little, short, contained stories that feed the world, but isolated by themselves, exist on their own. So the idea of side quests and side shows and prequels all fits into the world with The Witcher in my mind, anyway.

Last question for you. Obviously, you’re changing the cast with Season 4 of The Witcher. I’m curious, how does that possibly change the filming schedule with Liam [Hemsworth]? Because Henry’s [Cavill] schedule is always a little busy, and I’m just curious with Liam, do you think you’ll be filming that sooner than maybe… Have you already thought about that?

HISSRICH: Yeah. But that is so far away for us right now, and that’s going to be up to [the] powers that be. Honestly, I’m really excited for Witcher Season 4. I think it’s going to be fantastic. I can’t wait to get started. We’re not there. So right now, I just really want to keep the focus on Blood Origin and all of this amazing work.

The Witcher: Blood Origin premieres exclusively on Netflix on December 25.