Why Minnie Driver Joined Witcher: Blood Origin

This Christmas, the Witcher world returns to Netflix with Blood Origin, a four-part series telling the origin of the very first Witcher. One of the biggest surprises is the inclusion of Minnie Driver in the series.

Driver plays Seanchaí, the narrative voice for the series. An accomplished actor in her own right with a storied career, Driver's inclusion in Blood Origin is a different move for her, as Driver is entering a world of high-fantasy, not something she's known for. So what drew her to this role?

"I like origin stories," Driver told GameSpot. "I like well-done origin stories. And I think that we're kind of honing now that the prequel has become not such a dirty word in moviemaking. It's really cool that they get the attention they deserve. And I really like this one. I like the idea of the inception of The Witcher like this character that we've sort of come to love in this universe that was that he heralded. I love going back to see the beginning of that. And like, you know, being the person that kind of guides you through that. That's such a huge honor, it's cool."

The Witcher has its own passionate fanbase and is a well-established universe of stories and characters. Driver was coming into this world after the fact, but she didn't find the experience to be intimidating. "I was really just on set with Joey," Driver said, referring to her only scene partner during the shoot, Joey Batey, reprising his role as Jaskier. "So that made it a lot more chamber. And it's only when you really start looking at the whole thing. Does it become a bit overwhelming? And like, oh my god, I'm glad I took that seriously because it really is speaking to this huge universe. But no, it was it was it was really great. The way that it was set up was very chamber and concept and execution, which I think is maybe also what gives it its sparse quality, which given how rich and amazingly cinematic that world is. I think it's cool to have that at the beginning of this prequel."

Witcher: Blood Origin hits Netflix on December 25. Told in four parts, the show takes place 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher series--and Blood Origin leads to the creation of the very first Witcher. The show stars Laurence O'Fuarain, Sophia Brown, Zach Wyatt, Michelle Yeoh, and Nathaniel Curtis. It also features Francesca Mills as a warrior with her very own warhammer, which now sits in her bedroom.

The series is written and produced by Lauren Hissirch and Declan De Barra, both of whom worked on The Witcher as showrunner and writer, respectively. The series is based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, who was very supportive of Blood Origin.

In addition to the new series and Witcher Season 3 on the horizon, a remake of the first Witcher game is being made in Unreal Engine 5, and it will be open world.