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The Witcher: Lenny Henry and Dylan Moran join cast of prequel series Blood Origin

New prequel series is shooting in the UK now

Elizabeth Aubrey
Tuesday 17 August 2021 08:12 BST
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The Witcher trailer

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The cast for The Witcher’s prequel series have been unveiled.

Released in 2019 and starring Henry Cavill, the original fantasy series is one of Netflix’s most popular shows.

The streaming giant also recently revealed a first look trailer for season two of the show, which is expected to premiere on December 17.

Now, a new prequel show, which is set 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, will “chart the creation of the first prototype Witcher”, according to Deadline, as well as the “events that lead to the pivotal ‘Conjunction of the Spheres’, when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one.”

The series called The Witcher: Blood Origin, is now filming in the UK and will star Lenny Henry, Mirren Mack (The Nest), Nathaniel Curtis (It’s A Sin) and Dylan Moran (Black Books).

Henry will play Balor in the show, while Mack will take on the part of Merwyn. Curtis will be Brían and Moran will play Uthrok One-Nut.

Laurence O’Fuarain (Vikings), Sophia Brown (Marcella) and Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians) will also lead the six-part Netflix series.

Sarah O’Gorman and Vicky Jewson are directing a number of episodes each.

In his two-star review of The Witcher, The Independent’s Nick Hilton wrote: “The Witcher is a messy tangle of plotlines in a world underdeveloped to the point of obscurity. The experience is not unlike playing a video game, where deaths, diversions and reboots leave you constantly unsure of your exact position in the narrative.”

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