Netflix’s plans for expanding the world of The Witcher suffered a serious setback yesterday when Jodie Turner-Smith dropped out of the lead role in prequel series Blood Origin. The actress had only signed on to the project at the end of January, but after the start date for production was pushed back, it created a scheduling conflict that’s forced her to abandon ship.
Turner-Smith was set to play Éile, a fierce warrior with the voice of a goddess who leaves her tribe to become a nomadic musician before being drawn into a quest for vengeance and redemption, with the story set to unfold 1200 years prior to the adventures of Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia.
Season 2 of the main show has finally wrapped shooting after a torturous time in front of cameras, while Blood Origin was initially reported to be kicking off this month, but it’s looking like things won’t get underway until at least the summer. Jason Momoa had been heavily rumored to join the burgeoning WitcherVerse as well, and we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us the prequel was in the works long before it was confirmed – that Netflix are still hoping to get the Aquaman star on board in some capacity.
It was claimed that Momoa couldn’t board Blood Origin due to his involvement in Netflix’s Slumberland, but with the shoot being delayed, a gap might open up to make it happen. Either that, or the streaming service will wait to approach him for season 3 of The Witcher. Regardless, we’re told that the door is definitely being kept wide open for the actor to join what’s shaping up to become a pivotal part of the company’s small screen output for years to come.
