The Witcher prequel Blood Origin casts Michelle Yeoh and gets a new lead

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The Star Trek Discovery actor will play a sword-elf

Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek Discovery
(Image credit: CBS)

Toss a coin to whoever came up with this idea: Michelle Yeoh is joining the cast of The Witcher live-action prequel Blood Origin, and a new replacement lead has also been announced.

Yeoh will play Scían, who is described as "the very last of her nomadic tribe of sword-elves."

The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actor may even jump into some fight scenes on The Continent. The description continues: "She is an artist with the blade, on a deadly quest that will change the fate of the Continent."

Queen & Slim’s Jodie Turner-Smith was due to play the lead, Éile, but departed the role due to scheduling conflicts. That role will now be taken over by Sophia Brown (Top Boy). Eile is described as "an elite warrior-turned-nomadic musician who is forced to return to the way of the blade after a grand reckoning on the Continent sends her on a quest for vengeance and redemption."

Blood Origin, as revealed last July, is a spinoff series "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," reads the synopsis for the Netflix series.

No release date yet for the six-part limited series, though we do know the creative team behind the prequel.

The Witcher writer Declan de Barra is on board as showrunner, while the main driving force behind The Witcher on Netflix, Lauren S. Hissrich, is acting as executive producer.

A major villain from The Witcher series of games, Eredin, has been linked to an appearance in Blood Origin according to a report from Redanian Intelligence.

The Witcher season 2, Blood Origin, and upcoming animated prequel Nightmare of the Wolf ensures Witcher fans will be feasting well for the foreseeable future. We could even be finding out more about the new adventures very soon.

WitcherCon, a joint event between Netflix and The Witcher game developers CD Projekt Red, is taking place on July 9. Expect possible release dates and maybe even a teaser or two…

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Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.