More Standalone Witcher Spin-Offs May Be In The Cards
After conquering the mediums of books and video games, it was more than time for the "Witcher" franchise from creator Andrzej Sapkowski to take a swing at another creative avenue. With the help of Netflix, the beloved fantasy property made it to television in December 2019, debuting with an eight-episode first season on the streaming service. Henry Cavill stood at the forefront as Geralt of Rivia, and while it did deviate somewhat from the source material, Netflix's take on "The Witcher" encouraged even the most devoted fans of the property to give it a try.
In addition to existing "Witcher" fans, the Netflix adaptation welcomed in newcomers to the property, further expanding its already sizeable viewer base. The vast majority seemed to like what they saw, resulting in the creation of Season 2, which premiered in December 2021. Following that batch of episodes, the streaming hit still has yet to lose steam, hence why future seasons are on the way. To satiate the fanbase's collective appetite, we've also gotten spin-off media, including the animated movie "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf" and a four-part prequel miniseries, "The Witcher: Blood Origin."
In the wake of the Netflix arrival of "Blood Origin" on December 25, 2022, it appears that some of the folks involved in making the aforementioned series a reality could be interested in putting together more standalone "Witcher" spin-offs as the franchise continues to flourish.
Andrzej Sapkowski's world is too rich to not explore further
Coinciding with the release of "The Witcher: Blood Origin," showrunners Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Declan De Barra spoke with Radio Times about the prequel series. They discussed everything from the characters to how the show came to fruition, but that's not all. They also touched on what the future of "Witcher"-adjacent media could hold. More specifically, they revealed whether or not they feel there's room for more "Witcher" spin-offs down the line. While they don't outright confirm or shoot down any such productions, they did tease their potential, given the vastness of the source material.
"[Andrzej] Sapkowski is the king of the closed-ended story. The more we read of his books, the broader the tapestry of the world," De Barra told the publication, citing the nature of Sapkowski's works as a positive for creatives. He continues, "They paint another side to this world and expand it outward. That's the fun part." Could the "Blood Origin" team be vying for more standalone "Witcher" spin-offs? It seems so, but again, nothing of the sort has reached the public as of this writing. Although, rumors have begun to swirl about a title devoted to the mischievous street gang known as the Rats, so perhaps we at least have that to get excited about.
"The Witcher: Blood Origin," "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf," and the first two seasons of "The Witcher" are currently streaming on Netflix. One has to imagine that, so long as the property maintains its popularity, more titles will join those ones sooner rather than later.