Prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin finds its lead

Jodie Turner-Smith waves in front of a blue sky
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Netflix's Witcher prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin has cast Jodie Turner-Smith as lead character Éile.

As reported by Deadline, Blood Origin is a six-part, live-action series set 1,200 years before the Henry Cavill series. Taking place before the Conjunction of the Spheres (the event in Witcher lore that brought all the monsters and magic to the world of men), the series tells a wholly original story not touched by the books or games, following the events leading up to the Conjunction and the creation of the very first Witcher.

Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim, Nightflyers) will be playing Éile, an "elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess, who has left her clan and position as Queen’s guardian to follow her heart as a nomadic musician". The show will see Éile return to the blade after a "grand reckoning" on the continent in a quest for revenge.

Blood Origin was announced last summer, and so far, no other cast members have been announced for the show. Casting calls last month looked to cast actors for unnamed roles G and Z, a "brilliantly sharp-minded assassin" and a "mystical and earthly conduit" respectively.

Netflix is going all-in on Witcher shows in the next few years. On top of a second season for the Cavil-fronted main show, the platform has also commissioned a Witcher anime, Nightmare Of The Wolf.

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.

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