A new TV series in The Witcher universe has probably been canceled and is now part of season 4. Image source: Netflix
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Anyone who was hoping for a new TV series based on The Witcher universe will now be disappointed: Apparently Netflix has one planned spin-off around Ciris Rats
pulled the plug.
But no spin-off for Ciri's rats?
How Redanian Intelligence reported that the six-month shoot was canceled after just eight weeks in 2023. The material shot is not completely lost and will be incorporated into season 4 of The Witcher in the form of flashbacks.
The Rats were originally planned to have their own TV series with a length of six to eight episodes, which would serve as a prequel to Season 3 of The Witcher. At this point, Ciri joins the so-called rats – a gang of children and young people who stay afloat through theft and scams.
The series about the rat would not have been complete without a sorcerer; Dolph Lundgren would have appeared as a monster hunter named Brehen. The release was supposedly planned for 2024to shorten the wait for Season 4, which is expected to debut in 2025 at the earliest.
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Now it will probably stay with the new animated film Sirens of the Deep:
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The Witcher: In the new Netflix film, not Henry Cavill returns, but the video game Geralt returns
However, please note: Netflix had never officially announced or confirmed the spin-off about Ciri's rats. Their existence and production was primarily reported by the usually very well-informed insider website Redanian Intelligence, which specializes in everything related to The Witcher.
According to the latest report, Mairzee Almas' (The Sandman, Shadow & Bone) project has been cut short after Netflix reviewed initial footage. One can only speculate about the exact reasons for the scrapped plans.
Is Netflix putting the brakes on The Witcher?
But it certainly seems as if Netflix has lost trust in The Witcher. After the outcry surrounding the exit of Henry Cavill and the casting of Liam Hemsworth as Geralt, devastating reviews for the spin-off Blood Origin and mixed audience reviews of the last Witcher episodes, the latest bang came recently: The Witcher ends after the season 4 and 5.
It remains to be seen whether Netflix will get more out of the fantasy franchise or leave it alone for now.