Potential spoilers follow for The Witcher: Blood Origin.
The Witcher: Blood Origin star Minnie Driver has suggested she won’t appear in season 3 of Netflix’s main Witcher series.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar at the spin-off show’s UK junket, Driver attempted to play down reports that her character – Seanchaí – will make the jump to the main series, starting with The Witcher season 3.
In Blood Origin, Driver’s Seanchaí is a shapeshifting storyteller who can traverse time and space. These abilities allow the mysterious chronicler to journey to different realms and time periods, telling long-forgotten stories to specific individuals as she goes. In doing so, Seanchaí has the power to guide various worlds (and their races) down a different path – one that hopefully leads to a brighter future for all.
Given Seanchaí’s time-traveling ability, fans of Netflix’s live-action Witcher series believe it’s only a matter of time before Driver’s character crosses over into the main show. After all, Seanchaí interacts with fan favorite character Jaskier (Joey Batey) in Blood Origin, so the spin-off series has set a precedent for her bumping into other Witcher characters down the line.
However, when we asked Driver if she could confirm whether she’ll show up in The Witcher season 3, the Oscar nominee was understandably careful about what she could say.
“No – I mean, I wish!” Driver responded when asked if she could say whether she’s in season 3. “There’s so much secrecy around the show, purely because the creators want to give fans the best possible experience when they watch it. I wasn’t party to those discussions.”
Welcome to our clan, Minnie Driver! We can’t wait to see you on the Continent. pic.twitter.com/9yVSeuT2i8September 24, 2022
It’s natural to assume that Driver’s reply is PR speak. As she said, given the secrecy around Netflix’s Witcher series, it wouldn’t be fair to one of the best Netflix shows’ fanbases to confirm her involvement at this stage. Still, filming on The Witcher season 3 has wrapped – the show’s third season arrives in Q2 2023 – so Driver knows if her character is part of proceedings, even if she and Netflix are unwilling to divulge that just yet.
While she couldn’t directly address that question, Driver revealed that she would be open to reprising her role as Seanchaí in a different season of The Witcher or even her own spin-off project. If Seanchaí stars in her own Netflix production, there’s one particular Witcher character that Driver would love to interact with, too.
“Just hanging out with Geralt would be cool,” Driver revealed. “But yeah, I love this world and this character. I love the fact she can enter into really dangerous situations, move through that landscape, and then shapeshift out.
“I think the idea of being the holder of stories is so profound and magical, so I would really like to see her approach other characters and aid them with her stories in that world. But we’ll have to see what happens.”
If Driver’s Seanchaí doesn’t appear in The Witcher season 3, she won’t be interacting with Henry Cavill’s hugely popular depiction of Geralt of Rivia. Cavill is leaving the hit Netflix series once season 3 has been released, with Liam Hemsworth assuming the mantle of Geralt in The Witcher season 4 and beyond.
Fans reacted angrily to that news, even going as far as to start a Change.org petition (opens in new tab) to get Netflix to sack the show’s writers and retain Cavill’s services instead. Responding to Cavill’s departure, The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich exclusively told TechRadar that she “fully understands” fans’ concerns over Cavill leaving, but hopes the fanbase will stick around to see where the live-action franchise goes from here.
While we wait for Blood Origin and The Witcher season 3 to arrive – Blood Origin will be released on Netflix on December 25 – check out how to read The Witcher books in order. Alternatively, get the lowdown on The Witcher 4, the next entry in CD Projekt RED’s videogame adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novel series.
