During an exclusive interview with Collider’s own Steve Weintraub for The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Witcher creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich discussed the possibility of splitting the upcoming season into multiple parts, as VFX challenges continue to cause delays in Hollywood. Schmidt Hissrich also anticipates at least seven more months of post-production before Season 3’s release, which might weigh in favor of splitting the season.
Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s series of books of the same name, Netflix’s The Witcher tells the story of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a monster hunter who gets entangled in complex political disputes while wandering a unique fantasy world. The Witcher quickly became one of Netflix’s most successful original productions upon its release in 2019. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and the heavy CGI post-production work the series demanded, we only got Season 2 in December 2021.
During the interview with Schmidt Hissrich and Declan De Barra, co-creators of The Witcher: Blood Origin, Weintraub asked when the next season will be available and if Netflix might release the episodes in two parts. As Schmidt Hissrich said in our extended interview:
“We haven't discussed that [splitting the season] yet, but at this point I think what we see happening across all sort of streamers, I wouldn't rule it out. I do think that, obviously, we don't put anything out that we're not incredibly proud of. So that dictates our entire launch date. And I think it'll be interesting. Again, we have a way still a very long time, eight-ish months or so until Witcher Season 3 comes out. So God willing, we get it all out at the same time. But who knows, we'll see what happens.”
This wouldn't be the first time Netflix has opted to split their seasons for practical concerns. While Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities released episodes in pairs as part of a thematic build-up, the Duffer Brothers opted to split Stranger Things Season 4 into two parts, in part to allow the VFX team time to complete work on the final episodes.
When Will We Get More Witcher on Netflix?
To satiate fans’ hunger for more The Witcher content, Schmidt Hissrich has been working on multiple spinoffs that have been released between seasons of the main series. In August 2021, we had the animated feature The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which focused on Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir (Kim Bodnia). And just last week, we got the premiere of The Witcher: Blood Origin, a spinoff miniseries that takes place 1200 years before the original series.
Those spinoff productions help expand the rich universe of The Witcher. Still, we are thrilled to see what Season 3 of the main series will bring for fans. Even more, because Season 3 marks the last appearance of Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, a part that Liam Hemsworth will play from Season 4 forward. Unfortunately, we don’t have a release date for Season 3 of The Witcher, beyond the knowledge that it will premiere in Summer 2023.
The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, and the first two seasons of The Witcher are available right now on Netflix. Check out our interview with Schmidt Hissrich and De Barra below.