The Witcher season 2 is gearing up for a premiere soon, but it’s back to the drawing board for its spin-off series as Deadline reports that Jodie Turner-Smith has exited The Witcher: Blood Origin, the upcoming prequel to the hit Netflix series.
In a statement to Deadline, a Netflix spokesperson says the exit comes with scheduling issues. “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.”
Deadline notes that production was slightly pushed back, “creating a scheduling conflict for the in-demand British actress.”
Tuner-Smith was set to play Eile, an elf blessed with the voice of a goddess. After leaving her clan to embark on a journey as a nomadic musician, a tragic event brings Eile back to her warrior ways on a quest for vengeance and redemption. There’s no word on who will play the role of Eile at the time of reporting.
This upcoming Netflix six-episode limited series is set 1,200 years before the events of their current series, the Henry Cavill-starring The Witcher. The Witcher: Blood Origin will “tell a story lost to time — the creation of the very first 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 Witcher: Blood Origin will be showrun and executive produced by Declan de Barra with The Witcher‘s Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also serving as an executive producer. Andrzej Sapkowski, who wrote the series of Witcher novels the shows and video games are based upon, will also serve as a consultant on Blood Origin.
