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Netflix Sets Prequel Series The Witcher: Blood Origin

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Netflix has announced The Witcher: Blood Origin, a limited series from The Witcher universe.

Blood Origin will be a six part, live-action limited series, and a prequel to the streamer’s series The Witcher. Set in an elven world 1,200 years before the world of The Witcher, the show will chart the origins 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.

The series is slated to shoot in the UK, though cast and a specific date has not been revealed.

Declan de Barra will act as executive producer and showrunner and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will act as executive producer. Andrzej Sapkowski will serve as creative consultant on the series. Jason Brown and Sean Daniel from Hivemind, and Tomek Baginski and Jarek Sawko from Platige Films will all serve as executive producers.

Henry Cavill starred in The Witcher, Netflix’s second-most watched show stateside in 2019. The series clocked 76 million views globally in its first four weeks.

Declan de Barra said: “As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story The Witcher: Blood Origin. A question has been burning in my mind ever since I first read The Witcher books – What was the Elven world really like before the cataclysmic arrival of the humans? I’ve always been fascinated by the rise and fall of civilizations, how science, discovery, and culture flourish right before that fall. How vast swathes of knowledge are lost forever in such a short time, often compounded by colonization and a rewriting of history. Leaving only fragments of a civilization’s true story behind. The Witcher: Blood Origin will tell the tale of the Elven civilization before its fall, and most importantly reveal the forgotten history of the very first Witcher.”

Lauren Schmidt Hissrich added: “I am so thrilled to collaborate with Declan and the Netflix team on The Witcher: Blood Origin. It’s an exciting challenge to explore and expand The Witcher universe created by Andrzej Sapkowski, and we can’t wait to introduce fans to new characters and an original story that will enrich our magical, mythical world even more.”
 

Amiga

Member
Shit, why not. I'll watch it. I like The Witcher universe quite a bit. I need to read through the books one of these days.
What saddens me is that Witcher B&W set up a whole new arc that we may never get to play.
 

Denton

Member
Ah yes, another show by the acclaimed writers of Iron Fist.

Exactly what Witcher IP needs.

Fucking christ there are talented people in hollywood still (looking at you, The Boys), why did my most cherished book and game IP had to get these people.

Oh well, hope dies last, maybe first season of Witcher was a fluke, miracle will happen and future seasons and this show will not suck donkey balls while butchering the source.
 

Bryank75

Banned
Ah yes, another show by the acclaimed writers of Iron Fist.

Exactly what Witcher IP needs.

Fucking christ there are talented people in hollywood still (looking at you, The Boys), why did my most cherished book and game IP had to get these people.

Oh well, hope dies last, maybe first season of Witcher was a fluke, miracle will happen and future seasons and this show will not suck donkey balls while butchering the source.
Well, he wrote an episode of The Witcher already and some of the music for it.....
Maybe he deserves a chance, it won't effect the main series at all!
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
I was legit just thinking jokingly to myself when I clicked on this thread a moment ago... how will they somehow manage to shoehorn a black women into the main role and now she could possibly be the very first Witcher considering the hack writers involved...

giphy.gif
 
Oh no.
This is what I call a forced diversity and as an European it pisses me off.

Luckily Peter Jackson did LotR trilogy before all of this nonsense.
 
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Yumi

Member
Shit, why not. I'll watch it. I like The Witcher universe quite a bit. I need to read through the books one of these days.
The books are great. This is exciting cause it’s brand new content. The books talk a little bit of the conjunction of the spheres but the actual events that led up to it are largely unknown. Unless I’m forgetting something from the books.
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
I fail to see a problem with a black character in the Witcher universe, but i never read the books so i don't know if it only represents caucasian people.
The books are Polish so I would guess that it's all about caucasians. So this is just a spinoff with no basis on any books? Sounds useless.
 

Loope

Member
The books are Polish so I would guess that it's all about caucasians. So this is just a spinoff with no basis on any books? Sounds useless.
Well yeah, like i said i didn't read the books, but they are on a fictional world, is not that our of reason that the author could have some different ethnicities there, like we do have in the real world.
 

iorek21

Member
After seing some of the shite Netflix has been churning out lately i'm not at all sorry I stopped the subscription. Loads of woke shit, the shittest Sci-Fi and utterly cheesy teenage horse shit

What happend to Netflix?
It has been getting this way since Orange is the New Black and that disgusting Sense 8 series.

It could only be downhill from that
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
Well yeah, like i said i didn't read the books, but they are on a fictional world, is not that our of reason that the author could have some different ethnicities there, like we do have in the real world.
That hasn't mattered for most fantasy books. Most of them are written by white dudes so the worlds they create are pretty white. Just an observation not trying to make any larger points on the merits of representation.
 

Loope

Member
That hasn't mattered for most fantasy books. Most of them are written by white dudes so the worlds they create are pretty white. Just an observation not trying to make any larger points on the merits of representation.
Me either.I'm just trying to understand a reason why they could fit a different ethnicity in the show.
 

CAB_Life

Member
Eh. I liked the show/ books. I just loathe prequels, though, as we already largely know how things turn out.
 

MadYarpen

Member
What the fuck, like it matters. I am European, I am Polish in fact, huge Sapkowski fan and tbh I don't understand why elven character being black is so wrong? And she is pretty enough to be an elf haha.

It actually makes sense considering racism is on a different level in this universe.

It even makes it possible to use black characters and present them as racist pricks on both sides. Not that it's gonna happen, but I think it would be refreshing.
 

base

Banned
What the fuck, like it matters. I am European, I am Polish in fact, huge Sapkowski fan and tbh I don't understand why elven character being black is so wrong? And she is pretty enough to be an elf haha.

It actually makes sense considering racism is on a different level in this universe.

It even makes it possible to use black characters and present them as racist pricks on both sides. Not that it's gonna happen, but I think it would be refreshing.
Get help.

If no one's gonna protest then it's gonna be like with Anne Boleyn which will be played be a black skin actress. Fuck you for trying to change our continents' history.
 

Shmunter

Member
What the fuck, like it matters. I am European, I am Polish in fact, huge Sapkowski fan and tbh I don't understand why elven character being black is so wrong? And she is pretty enough to be an elf haha.

It actually makes sense considering racism is on a different level in this universe.

It even makes it possible to use black characters and present them as racist pricks on both sides. Not that it's gonna happen, but I think it would be refreshing.
Really? I find euro centric mythology / folk tales to require a degree of demographic grounding to be properly immersive.

No different to Chinese mythology having actual Chinese people, or Greek mythology having olive skinned Southern European looking people for example. Would be odd to see no attention being paid where anything goes.

I feel it’s nothing but a social justice lack of respect and a deliberate disregard for Europe’s culture....because it’s white.

Anyway, I thought the show was mediocre, so I couldn’t care if they cast orange umpalumpas throughout.
 
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MagnesG

Banned
Well yeah, like i said i didn't read the books, but they are on a fictional world, is not that our of reason that the author could have some different ethnicities there, like we do have in the real world.
They do specifically describe the characters and some race in the books though, things like their hair and their skin colour.

In the show they literally change a whole white royalty race into black, a redhead auburn Witch into black, pale white Yennefer into that indian young girl in the show when she's basically a sex icon in the books.

Too ironic and sad.
 
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Get help.

If no one's gonna protest then it's gonna be like with Anne Boleyn which will be played be a black skin actress. Fuck you for trying to change our continents' history.

It's not your continent's history though. It's a made up world with magic, elves and people who turn into dragons. But, somehow, a black woman in a starring role is the thing that's going too far.
 

MagnesG

Banned
It's not your continent's history though. It's a made up world with magic, elves and people who turn into dragons. But, somehow, a black woman in a starring role is the thing that's going too far.
These characters have their characteristics defined already but yeah go ahead a black woman is possible too.

I have no comments for this upcoming prequel though, they can whatever the fuck they want I don't care anymore.
 
It's totally cool and realistic to have literal talking piles of rocks in your TV show/game, but a non white character is "fOrCeD diVeRsItY".

Seems on par for a NeoGAF thread.
I would get affended behalf of my Cave Troll friends, if the talking pile of rocks character would be changed to a slithering slime spagetti monster.
 

KungFucius

King Snowflake
Literally, one person has said that. Seems on par with what a gaf thread actually is as opposed to what you think.
You can't be seriously ignoring all the whining about the character being black and that she should be white as crying about forced diversity just because they didn't mention the words "forced diversity". But apparently you are because you need to fight someone who disagrees with you with dishonest remarks instead of trying to understand what he or she was trying to say. Now it has people whining about "forced diversity", others whining about it through general complaints against casting a black woman in a show that should be led by a white man, and someone willing to argue that the second type of post isn't the same as the first because they didn't use the words, only the "definition". You don't win real arguments on some irrelevant technicality.
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
You can't be seriously ignoring all the whining about the character being black and that she should be white as crying about forced diversity just because they didn't mention the words "forced diversity". But apparently you are because you need to fight someone who disagrees with you with dishonest remarks instead of trying to understand what he or she was trying to say. Now it has people whining about "forced diversity", others whining about it through general complaints against casting a black woman in a show that should be led by a white man, and someone willing to argue that the second type of post isn't the same as the first because they didn't use the words, only the "definition". You don't win real arguments on some irrelevant technicality.
This is a "real" argument? Oh shit, I had no idea. Thanks. I fail to see my single sentence response to that poster was in any way looking for a fight. I simply disagreed with his take on the thread. Rage on though.
 
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Kimahri

Banned
It's totally cool and realistic to have literal talking piles of rocks in your TV show/game, but a non white character is "fOrCeD diVeRsItY".

Seems on par for a NeoGAF thread.

One has a real world precedent. The other does not. Building a great universe, any great universe requires that your universe has rules. Rules the world needs to adhere to in order to be believable and convincing. How does magic work, is it grounded in the earth, is it a spiritual thing, something else? There are many things for a creator to figure out that needs to make sense.

A ton of stuff is already laid out pretty well. We don't need to explain it. Gravity makes water flow downwards. Trees grow when there's soil, water and sun. Carnivores hunt other animals for food, while herbivores eat plants. Males penetrate females to produce offspring.

Another thing is skin color and facial features. White people generally come from colder climates with less sun. Darker people come from hot areas with a lot of sun.

So, if this series is based on medieval europe like most fantasy, that's a region that never had people of color until they travelled there. So, if you're gonna cast black people to a medieval show, I'd like to know how they got there. How does this place and this world work to accommodate not just multicultural societies im a world without planes and fast, easy transport, but also how people of color who according to laws of nature be indigenous elsewhere, end up in colder climates.

I have no problem with people of color in fantasy, I just don't see why it always has to be european fantasy.

Sorry for the novel.
Really? I find euro centric mythology / folk tales to require a degree of demographic grounding to be properly immersive.

No different to Chinese mythology having actual Chinese people, or Greek mythology having olive skinned Southern European looking people for example. Would be odd to see no attention being paid where anything goes.

I feel it’s nothing but a social justice lack of respect and a deliberate disregard for Europe’s culture....because it’s white.

Anyway, I thought the show was mediocre, so I couldn’t care if they cast orange umpalumpas throughout.

Troy on netflix is a horrible example of this. Not a single greek or turkish actor in sight, but plenty of british actors . Not to mention black zeus, achilles and petroklus.

Why is it always the european stuff getting messed up? Why can't they make some cool movies and shows based on african, american, asian, oceanic mythologies and stories. I'd like to see that, and it would fill their diversity quota real fast.
 

Shmunter

Member
One has a real world precedent. The other does not. Building a great universe, any great universe requires that your universe has rules. Rules the world needs to adhere to in order to be believable and convincing. How does magic work, is it grounded in the earth, is it a spiritual thing, something else? There are many things for a creator to figure out that needs to make sense.

A ton of stuff is already laid out pretty well. We don't need to explain it. Gravity makes water flow downwards. Trees grow when there's soil, water and sun. Carnivores hunt other animals for food, while herbivores eat plants. Males penetrate females to produce offspring.

Another thing is skin color and facial features. White people generally come from colder climates with less sun. Darker people come from hot areas with a lot of sun.

So, if this series is based on medieval europe like most fantasy, that's a region that never had people of color until they travelled there. So, if you're gonna cast black people to a medieval show, I'd like to know how they got there. How does this place and this world work to accommodate not just multicultural societies im a world without planes and fast, easy transport, but also how people of color who according to laws of nature be indigenous elsewhere, end up in colder climates.

I have no problem with people of color in fantasy, I just don't see why it always has to be european fantasy.

Sorry for the novel.


Troy on netflix is a horrible example of this. Not a single greek or turkish actor in sight, but plenty of british actors . Not to mention black zeus, achilles and petroklus.

Why is it always the european stuff getting messed up? Why can't they make some cool movies and shows based on african, american, asian, oceanic mythologies and stories. I'd like to see that, and it would fill their diversity quota real fast.
Because whites rule the world and it’s perfectly ok to punch up or some shit. This is why no respect needs to be paid to white culture and mythology. Can be spat on and abused as seen fit.

Yes, it’s racism with a license. Disgraceful.
 

Shmunter

Member
The Witcher doesn't even take place on Earth.. let alone it not being in Europe.
It’s castles, swords, knights and princesses. Not star destroyers, lasers and robots.

Why the false notion of fantasy having no boundaries or no grounding in human culture? Doesn’t have to, but this one clearly does.
 
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Kimahri

Banned
The Witcher doesn't even take place on Earth.. let alone it not being in Europe.
Come up with something better. Doesn't matter if we're on earth. Over time, people living in the same regions end up developing similar features. This is why you in many people can look at someone and say, that dud is finish, that girl is french, that guy is russian, etc etc.

Just ignoring the laws of physics just makes your whole product stupid.

And don't bring up fantasy like that changes anything. Fantasy can be made believable. You just need a good explanation for.

In futuristic sci fi you can do whatever you want. Realistically I'd imagine most people in a few thousand years are fairly brown anyways, and true black and white people ends up being the minorities. Could make for interesting backdrops imo.
 
Really didn't enjoy the Witcher series on NF, although I am a big fan of the books and games. This just sounds like more of the same, so I'll have to pass.
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
I've only watched the first three or four episodes of the series and found it to be only mildly entertaining. Far better things to spend my time on. I can't imagine this will be any better. Netflix originals largely dont do it for me
 
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