One of the two upcoming Witcher prequels has found its star: Jodie Turner-Smith (Nightflyers) is set to play Éile, described as “an elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess,” in the limited series The Witcher: Blood Origin.
Blood Origin is set 1200 years before The Witcher, and in an elven world; the six-part story will explore the events leading up to the merging of the worlds. Entertainment Weekly reports that Turner-Smith’s character “has left her clan and position as Queen’s guardian to follow her heart as a nomadic musician. A grand reckoning on the continent forces her to return to the way of the blade in her quest for vengeance and redemption.”
Here’s word from Netflix on the news:
🐺 WITCHER NEWS ALERT 🐺
The first cast for The Witcher: Blood Origin has been announced. Jodie Turner-Smith will play Éile, a fierce warrior with the voice of a goddess.
The limited series will tell the story of the first Witcher prototype and the Conjunction of the Spheres. pic.twitter.com/wTltgArMW7
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) January 25, 2021
Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is an executive producer on Blood Origin, and Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski is a creative consultant. Showrunner Declan de Barra has an SFF background; he worked as a writer and producer on The Witcher, Iron Fist, and The Originals.
This is a return to SFF for Turner-Smith, who was one of the best things about Nightflyers (pictured above). She co-starred with Daniel Kaluuya in Lena Waithe’s film Queen & Slim and has also had roles on True Blood and The Last Ship.
There’s no word yet on when Blood Origin will begin filming, or when it will eventually air. The other Witcher prequel, the animated The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, is a feature-length film about Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir. It also doesn’t yet have a release date—but season two of the main Witcher series is expected to arrive this year.
Buy the Book
The Witness for the Dead
