Once Game of Thrones wrapped up with an eighth and final season that split opinion right down the middle among fans and cast members alike, the race was on to find the next major fantasy show to capture the imagination of the viewing public. Plenty of networks and streaming services threw their hats into the ring with varying degrees of success, but Netflix raced to the head of the pack thanks to The Witcher.
Not only did it become one of the platform’s most popular original shows ever and sit pretty as the most-watched TV series in the world for a long time, but it also led to a huge sales increase for associated media based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s source material. Meanwhile, star Henry Cavill spawned a thousand memes with his charismatically gruff performance as Geralt of Rivia, and a cultural phenomenon was born.
Production on the second season may have been halted for months as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, but Netflix didn’t waste any time in expanding the universe, announcing that a prequel series was in the works and taking shape quickly. Jason Momoa has been heavily linked to the starring role in Blood Origin already, but it seems there might be even bigger plans in store for us.
Insider Daniel Richtman is claiming on Patreon that more spinoffs are being developed now as Netflix go all-in on making The Witcher one of their marquee properties. Further details remain scarce at this point, but we imagine more will surface soon. And though you can fully understand the company’s desire to build the brand, they certainly need to be careful here, as subscribers could eventually suffer from fatigue if too many new projects arrive in too short a time frame.
