The Witcher prequel series has found its lead

(Image credit: Universal)

The Witcher prequel series on Netflix has cast its lead. Queen and Slim’s Jodie Turner-Smith will play warrior Éile in The Witcher: Blood Origin.

As per Deadline, Éile is “an elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess, who has left her clan and position as Queen’s guardian to follow her heart as a nomadic musician.”

The six-part Netflix prequel series – set over a millennium before Geralt grunted and growled his way through The Witcher’s first season – previously had only a synopsis to go on.

It read: "Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time - the origin of the very first Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal 'conjunction of the spheres,' when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one."

Now, the new Deadline report fleshes it out slightly – but still leaves things decidedly vague: Éile is going “to return to the way of the blade in her quest for vengeance and redemption” after an unnamed event occurs on The Continent.

Turner-Smith, who has also appeared in Netflix’s Nightflyers, is the only actor officially cast as of writing and no release date has been set. A casting call in late 2020 was looking for two characters, only given the vague labels of G and Z. G is a G is "a brilliantly sharp-minded assassin with restricted growth" and Z is a "mystical and earthly conduit with cerebral palsy", who is "incredibly powerful.”

The world of The Witcher, it seems, is growing ever wider. Alongside Blood Origin is The Witcher season 2, which is currently filming, and an animated film – which might have had its runtime revealed by Netflix.

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