Lead actor Jodie Turner-Smith leaves The Witcher prequel series

With the second season of The Witcher in the can, things are looking up for Netflix’s budding fantasy franchise, but there’s been a setback, per Variety. Earlier, Netflix had cast Queen & Slim star Jodie Turner-Smith as one of the lead actors in The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel show set long before the original series. But according to the streaming, “Due to a change in the production schedule for ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ limited series, unfortunately Jodie Turner-Smith will no longer be able to continue on in the role of Éile.”

Éile is “an elite warrior blessed with the voice of a goddess” who leaves her position as the royal bodyguard to a powerful queen to become a wander musician. But when “a grand reckoning” comes to the Continent, she has to pick up her sword again. The role will now have to be recast.

What is The Witcher: Blood Origin about?

Netflix provided an official synopsis for The Witcher prequel series a while back:

"Set in an elven world 1200 years before the world of The Witcher, Blood Origin will tell a story lost to time – the creation of the first prototype Witcher, and the events that lead to the pivotal “conjunction of the spheres,” when the worlds of monsters, men, and elves merged to become one."

The prequel series is set to run for six episodes and end, so we’re not looking at a whole new series here so much as a limited spin-off that provides some backstory for the main show.

Éile was one of two leads. The other is Fjall, a warrior who harbors a lot of guilt after a loved one died to save him in battle. He’ll be played by Irish actor Laurence O’Fuarain.

There’s no word on when The Witcher: Blood Origin will land on Netflix, but it’s probably coming a bit later than it was originally supposed to. As for the second season of The Witcher, that’s coming a bit sooner:

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