‘The Witcher’ on Netflix: Everything We Know About The Future of the Franchise

There’s no streaming service that doubles down on a good thing quite like Netflix, and for fans of The Witcher that’s a very good thing indeed. Though Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s addicting fantasy horror series only premiered last December, The Witcher is poised to dominate Netflix in a big way.

In addition to a Season 2, The Witcher universe will also be releasing an anime movie and a live action prequel miniseries. Wondering when you can see more monsters and mayhem on Netflix? We have you covered. Here’s everything we currently know about when all things Witcher will premiere.

When Will The Witcher Season 2 Be on Netflix?

Though Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri will be returning, it may not be for a while. Originally Season 2 of The Witcher was planned to be released in 2021. But thanks to COVID-19’s impact on production, that timeline has been altered.

In March of this year production was shut down for two weeks to deep clean after Game of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju tested positive for the virus. Production as a whole was then paused for the pandemic as it spread all over the world. Filming in the UK is currently set to resume on August 17. Hopefully that target date won’t be pushed back further, and Season 2 will continue to proceed safely. Based on these delays it still seems possible that we’ll see new episodes of The Witcher in 2021. But it’s more likely those episodes will premiere toward the end of next year, rather than toward its beginning.

Based on the timeline of the novel series, Season 2 of Netflix’s new mega-hit will likely revolve around Ciri (Freya Allan) finally training to become a witcher. This upcoming batch of episodes will see Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Ciri travel to the witcher fortress Kaer Morhen where Ciri will learn what it means to be the world’s first female witcher. And if we’re following the books we’ll likely be seeing a lot more of the sorceress Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer).

When Will The Witcher Anime Be on Netflix? When Will The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Premiere?

Netflix hasn’t officially announced when its Witcher anime movie will be released. But there is a rumor that it may premiere sooner, rather than later. Many fans think that Nightmare of the Wolf is supposed to premiere between Seasons 1 and 2 to keep the Witcher hype building. If that’s true, it seems likely that the film would premiere either this year or early next.

Unlike The Witcher series, Nightmare of the Wolf will be an animated movie. According to an interview with writer Beau DeMayo, the team chose this medium for a couple of reasons. The first has to do with the lack of visual limitations that come with live action. Anyone who’s drawn anything knows that it’s easier to draw an insane monster than try to realistically re-create that same monster using real materials or CGI. We can expect this movie to have a lot more crazy fantasy elements than The Witcher‘s first season. Creating an anime-inspired movie also opens up the sandbox of the Witcher universe. From these spinoff projects it’s clear that showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Andrzej Sapkowski want the Witcher universe to be an experimental one, a tone that perfectly fits this world filled with magic, monsters, grunting, and sarcasm.

Nightmare of the Wolf will tell a story even the most diehard Witcher fans don’t know. Set before the main events of the series, the spinoff movie will focus on Vesemir, a witcher and Geralt’s father figure. Netflix described the movie as, “Long before mentoring Geralt, Vesemir begins his own journey as a witcher after the mysterious Deglan claims him through the Law of Surprise.” That’s right; that pesky Law of Surprise has captured more than one witcher.

When Will The Witcher Prequel Be on Netflix? When Will The Witcher: Blood Origin Premiere?

There’s one more Witcher spinoff to get excited about. This week Netflix announced it will be creating a Witcher prequel miniseries. Executive produced by Hissrich and with Declan de Barra serving as a showrunner, it’s unknown when the live-action series will premiere. But since it was just announced it will likely be a while before we even see footage.

Set over 1,200 years before the events of the series, Blood Origin will take place in a world where elves still rule. This land filled with danger and monsters will see the rise of The Continent’s very first witcher. Who wants to bet that he grumbles more than Geralt?

Watch The Witcher on Netflix