The Witcher Getting A Live-Action Spin-Off About The Franchise’s Best Group

By Mark McKee | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

the witcher rats

If you’re a fan of The Witcher with Henry Cavill, you are likely still mourning the loss of the series star that brought the character to life with charm, charisma, and not a small amount of machismo. But it isn’t all bad news on the horizon for the series; in addition to the previously announced spin-off, The Witcher: Blood Origin, the series is set to receive yet another spin-off to deepen its mythos. According to Comic Book, the new series will center around one of the most compelling groups from The Witcher, The Rats.

The Witcher group, known as The Rats, is a group of misfits that shows up in the fourth novel in the series, The Time of Contempt. In the book, The Northern Kings are still conspiring with one another to lure Nilfgaard into war, while the sorceress is due to be enrolled at Aretuza to study magic. Ciri comes into contact with some of the most powerful sorceresses on The Continent, and as war approaches, she falls in with The Rats. 

In The Witcher novels, The Rats are a group of misfits, people who are outcasts from society for various reasons, all coming together from troubled backgrounds. They are bound by a love of materialistic things, a thirst for murder, and running from a law that believes they will eventually become victims of their own hand when fighting over loot. The group is tailor-made for a Netflix series following their exploits and running across characters of the original series, including Ciri. 

henry cavill the witcher season 2

The Witcher has more than just The Rats joining their universe; it is the second spin-off series to get a greenlight after the streaming service announced The Witcher: Blood Origin. The series takes place 1200 years before Henry Cavill’s Geralt appears, following the cataclysmic event known as the Conjunction of the Spheres and the creation of the first Witcher, giving us a look at the origins of Geralt’s people. The series stars Laurence O’Fuarain, Sophia Brown, Minnie Driver, and Michelle Yeoh and will hit Netflix on Christmas Day. 

The news of a third series in The Witcher franchise following the compelling group known as The Rats comes at a time when the fans need some good news. Recently, it was announced the beloved lead actor, Henry Cavill, was leaving the show to be replaced by Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. While many fans suspected it was due to his new commitment to return to the DCU to portray Superman, but it was later revealed that it was due to creative differences with the writers. 

Netflix is looking to keep the franchise going as long as possible, and with solid leads in actors such as Henry Cavill, Liam Hemsworth, and Michelle Yeoh, it is continuing to look strong. The Witcher has a sprawling web of characters, and The Rats are just the beginning, and with thousands of years featuring monsters, warriors, and magical beings, it has the potential to hit for years. While fans are getting a fun Christmas present this year, it seems the gifts will keep coming.