Netflix and fantasy is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the streaming service always delivers fantastic series highlights. Unfortunately, many of them are canceled prematurely, such as the series Shadow and Bone – Legends of Grisha and Warrior Nun.
Now fans of the fantasy series The Witcher are in for a disappointment. While Netflix recently announced the end of the series after 5 seasons, the planned spin-off series about the controversial gang of rats now seems to be in danger.
Bad news for fantasy fans: The Witcher spin-off is in crisis at Netflix
As the usually reliable fansite Redanian Intelligence reports, the future of The Witcher spin-off is now unclear. It is often the case that planned series are not realized in the end. Here, however, things look different. Because the prequel series was filmed in South Africa last year – at least partially.
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Ciri becomes a member of the rat gang in The Witcher Season 4
The Rats are a gang of six young thieves who were first introduced at the end of the third season of The Witcher and will play a more prominent role in the upcoming fourth season. Their stories were actually supposed to be told in the form of a spin-off series. Filming began in South Africa in May 2023 and ended a month later.
Redanian Intelligence now claims to have learned that only the first one or two episodes of the planned series could be filmed. After test screenings, Netflix is said to have decided to no longer produce the rest allow.
What happens to The Witcher series now? It is currently unclear whether Netflix will ultimately release the footage from the spin-off series in a different form or lock it completely in the poison cabinet. However, there are two ways in which Netflix can accommodate the canceled series project elsewhere:
The spin-off series was developed by showrunner Haily Hall. In addition to the six rat members, the cast also included action legend Dolph Lundgren as the sorcerer Brehen and Sharlto Copley as the brutal villain Leo Bonhart. The latter will also appear in The Witcher Season 4.
The Witcher Season 4 and more: This is what continues with the fantasy universe on Netflix
The Witcher universe is downright… enchanted. Netflix had big plans to expand the fantasy world of the series once led by Henry Cavill with numerous spin-offs. After the anime film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, the first spin-off series The Witcher: Blood Origin followed, but it did not bring the hoped-for success.
The harsh criticism of the spin-off and the exit of main actor Henry Cavill after 3 seasons have put a huge damper on Netflix’s fantasy franchise. Fortunately, there is no longer any fear of the main series being canceled.
The Witcher Season 4 will hit Netflix in 2025 before the fantasy series is expected to end with Season 5 in 2026. In both seasons, Liam Hemsworth takes over as the new Geralt of Rivia. But you don’t have to wait that long to see the sorcerer again. Because Another animated feature film will be released at the end of 2024: The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.
Podcast: The 15 best series starts in April on Netflix and Co.
Do you need more fresh streaming tips? We present the most exciting series in April, which start on Netflix, Amazon, WOW and Co., in the monthly overview:
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Among the 15 streaming highlights of the series you will find the large-scale sci-fi video game film Fallout on Amazon in April. Netflix is also showing Ripley, a promising thriller remake with a Sherlock villain, and Robert Downey Jr. is hardly recognizable in The Sympathizer.