New ‘The Witcher’ spinoff creates uproar among fans of another Netflix fantasy series frantically circling cancellation

Shadow and Bone fans are relentless in their campaign to get the Crows their very own spinoff show, but unfortunately, Netflix seems reluctant on giving the people what they want. Instead, the network has opted for producing yet another The Witcher spinoff, earning a collective eye roll from viewers. We all saw how Blood Origin turned out, after all.

This new spinoff will focus on the Rats, a band of six teens attempting to pull the heist of their lives while facing off against the biggest criminal ring around. Does it sound familiar? For Grishavese fans, it certainly does, as they recognize this premise from Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows novel.

As one can imagine, the similarities between the two works are causing uproar among Shadow and Bone fans, who are accusing Netflix of ripping off the Crows’ story. To make matters worse, according to a report from Redanian Intelligence, the Rats spinoff will be directed by Mairzee Almas, who also worked on — you guessed it — Shadow and Bone.

There’s no denying Netflix is failing spectacularly at reading the room, dangling a similar concept in fantasy fans’ faces as the Grishaverse fandom desperately fights to save Shadow and Bone from cancellation. With viewers’ frustrations at an all-time high, it’s understandable that many find this upcoming spinoff a tactless move, but is it really fair to accuse Netflix of copying another franchise’s work?

Unfortunately, what a lot of Shadow and Bone fans are failing to realize, is that all of The Witcher books were published from 1992 to 2013. A quick look at Six of Crows‘ release year — 2015 — is all it takes to see why it’s impossible for the Rats to have been inspired by the Crows. If anything, the opposite would be true. Even so, criticism keeps pouring in, as Grishaverse fans consider the Rats are stealing the Crows’ thunder, which could potentially lead to their spinoff not getting the much-desired go-ahead.

One thing Shadow and Bone and The Witcher fans have in common, though, is their obvious distaste for this spinoff, as Netflix once against attempts to milk any Witcher content it can get away with.