The Witcher: Blood Origin reportedly underwent a major overhaul as Netflix cut the series from six to four episodes. According to the Redanian Intelligence site, The Witcher prequel also went through reshoots that included more Jaskier in the series.
First announced in 2020, The Witcher: Blood Origin entered production last year and wrapped filming in July 2021. There were six episodes filmed at the time. The cast returned to the set for reshoots this past April, a standard procedure in TV filmmaking, especially big-budget productions. After the post-production process reveals flaws or unforeseen needs on the initial shoot, there are always adjustments to be made, leading to reshoots. However, as now revealed, the reshoots were actually part of a significant overhaul that cut the series from six to four episodes.
Creator: Declan De Barra
Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Lenny Henry, Dylan Moran
While it is unknown how much of the original plan was changed on the cutting room floor, the current structure attributes Episode 1 to showrunner Declan de Barra, Episode 2 to Alex Meenehan and Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Episode 3 to Tania Lotia and Kiersten Van Horne. , and episode 4 for Barra and Tasha Huo. From the looks of it, the first and last episodes of Blood Origins stay close to the original plan, while the middle of the season was merged, leading to the directing credits being combined as well.
Set 1,200 years before The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell the story of the Conjunction of the Spheres, the event that led to the overlapping of the dimensions of elves, dwarves, humans, and monsters. The only direct link between the two productions is Jaskier, the bard who frequently travels alongside Geralt of Rivia. Blood Origins reportedly begins with Dandelion trying to tell the story of the Conjunction of the Spheres before being interrupted by an elf who claims to know what really happened.
The new report indicates that Batey had to film many additional scenes during the Blood Origin reshoots. So the overhaul could mean that the creative team is trying to better connect the events of the prequel to the main series. For example, with more Jaskier, Blood Origin could feature short present-time intros for each episode, helping fans understand how the prequel explains the current state of The Witcher universe.
Blood Origin's cast of characters includes Éile, a warrior who leaves her clan and hers as protector of the queen to wander the world as a singer; Fjall, a warrior who joins Éile in searching for her; and Scian, an elf searching for a stolen holy sword. It is still unknown how all these characters will come together and how their personal histories will relate to the Conjunction of the Spheres.