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Netflix's Witcher prequel will go back 1,200 years before Henry Cavill

The Witcher: Blood Origin will tell the tale of the first Witcher in a six-part miniseries.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Netflix hopes The Witcher will be a monster-sized franchise.

Netflix

Netflix is tossing a coin to the Witcher to pay for a new series -- a prequel called Blood Origin, set a thousand years before Henry Cavill's sword-swinging fantasy adventure.

Cavill plays magical mutant monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia in Netflix's adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's popular Witcher books and game series. Season 1 dropped in December, and will be followed by season 2 just as soon as production resumes in August with measures to tackle coronavirus.

The release date for The Witcher: Blood Origin is yet to be confirmed. We do know it's a six-part live action series set 1,200 years before the existing series, telling the story of the very first Witcher.

Netflix has already described The Witcher as a potential "massive new franchise," so fans can expect plenty more monster-mashing antics from Cavill and Co.

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