Witcher TV Show Prequel Loses Star Due To Scheduling Conflict

Netflix's upcoming Witcher TV show prequel, Blood Origin, is moving forward without one of its leads. Deadline reports that Jodie Turner-Smith has dropped out of the show due to changes to the show's production schedule.

Turner-Smith was cast as one of the lead characters, Eile. "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 Eile," a spokesperson said.

Deadline reported that Blood Origin's start-date for filming was "pushed slightly," which meant that Turner-Smith had to leave the show. The British actress will be seen next in the action movie Without Remorse with Michael B. Jordan and After Yang with Colin Farrell.

Eile is an elite warrior, and the role will be recast. However, there is no word yet on any potential names who might be circling the role or in the running for it. As announced previously, Blood Origin is a limited series that will have six episodes.

Blood Origin is set 1,200 years before The Witcher, and its story will touch on the creation of the first Witcher. Recently, Laurence O'Fuarain, who appeared on Game of Thrones and Vikings, was cast as the central character Fjall.

Blood Origin is the second Witcher spin-off that Netflix is developing, following on from The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf, which is an animated movie focusing on Vesemir. For more on Blood Origin, check out GameSpot's roundup of everything we know about the show.

As for the main Witcher TV show for Netflix, filming on Season 2 recently finished following delays related to the pandemic.