The Witcher spin-off Blood Origin ordered by Netflix

After just one season, Netflix has ordered a spin-off of its fantasy sensation The Witcher.

The streaming service announced Monday a new project titled The Witcher: Blood Origin.

The spin-off is described as a six-part limited series and prequel.

Here's the official description: "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."

Declan de Barra will act as executive producer and showrunner. He previously wrote The Witcher season one episode "Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials" and worked on shows such as The Originals. Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich will act as an executive producer on the new project. Franchise creator Andrzej Sapkowski will serve as a creative consultant on the series.

“As a lifelong fan of fantasy, I am beyond excited to tell the story The Witcher: Blood Origin," de Barra said. "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.”

Added Hissrich: “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.”

Added Sapkowski: “It is exciting that the world of Witcher - as planned in the very beginning - is expanding. I hope it will bring more fans to the world of my books.”

The Witcher: Blood Origin will shoot in the UK. Meanwhile, Netflix is waiting to resume production on The Witcher season 2, which began in February the U.K. and then was interrupted by the pandemic in March. Season 2 includes Game of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju joining the cast in a key role. The production is supposed to restart Aug. 17. The Witcher will likely return to Netflix in 2021.

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• The Witcher sets date to resume filming season 2
• The Witcher season 2 adds another Witcher opposite Henry Cavill
• The Witcher anime film in the works at Netflix from series creator