Blood Origin Prequel Series Loses Jodie Turner-Smith as the Lead

Netflix’s The Witcher spin-off series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, has sadly lost its lead, with Queen & Slim star Jodie Turner-Smith departing the role following scheduling issues. It was revealed back in January that Jodie Turner-Smith would play one of the lead roles in the upcoming fantasy show, but now production will need to start looking elsewhere.

“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,” said a Netflix representative in a statement.

The Witcher: Blood Origin is set in an elven world 1,200 years before the world of The Witcher, and 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.

Turner-Smith was set to play Éile, who is described as “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. A grand reckoning on the continent forces her to return to the way of the blade in her quest for vengeance and redemption.” Following Turner-Smith’s departure, the role will now be recast.

Turner-Smith has several projects on the horizon, and can be seen in A24’s After Yang alongside Colin Farrell, which the story of a family reckoning with questions of love, connection, and loss after their A.I. helper unexpectedly breaks down. She is also starring opposite Michael B. Jordan in Amazon’s action-thriller Without Remorse, both of which are due for release this year.

Meanwhile, filming recently wrapped on the second season of The Witcher after more than a year of setbacks and delays amid the ongoing global situation. The second season of The Witcher will reportedly tell a much more linear story, as well as explore Geralt’s mysterious upbringing, picking up with Geralt having been convinced that Yennefer’s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden. Geralt brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While the Continent’s kings, elves, humans and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.

Henry Cavill is set to reprise the lead as Geralt in the popular Netflix series, alongside Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri, and Joey Batey as Jaskier. The cast will see several new additions, including Yasen Atour (Robin Hood) as Coën, Agnes Bjorn (Monster) as Vereena, Paul Bullion (Peaky Blinders) as Lambert, Basil Eidenbenz (The Favourite) as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross (The Danish Girl) as Lydia, acting newcomer Mecia Simson as Francesca, Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) as Nivellen and fan-favorite character and Witcher trainer Vesemir, played by Killing Eve’s Kim Bodnia.

Neither The Witcher season 2 nor The Witcher: Blood Origin yet have a release date. The prequel limited series is being written and executive produced by Declan de Barra, with Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the showrunner of Netflix’s The Witcher, also executive producing. This comes to us courtesy of Deadline.

Topics: The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Witcher