To tide you over until The Witcher season 3, Netflix has released a four-part prequel miniseries that takes you back more than 1,000 years in the world of the TV show (and books and games it's based on).
Set in a distant past when humans and monsters hadn't been introduced to the world yet, The Witcher: Blood Origin follows seven heroes who need to stop the rise of a new evil elf empire. The story also explores where Witchers come from as well as what the "Conjunction of the Spheres" is.
With seven heroes and plenty more villains and side characters, there are a lot of names and faces to get your head around, particularly with only one returning character from the first two seasons of The Witcher.
So here's who you need to know from the The Witcher: Blood Origin cast.
The Witcher: Blood Origin heroes
Sophia Brown as Éile
Éile is the leader and founding member of the seven heroes. She used to be a member of the Raven Clan, but now wanders the land as a travelling bard known as the Lark.
Sophia Brown is a British actress you may have seen in recent TV shows The Capture, Giri/Haji or Marcella. Blood Origin is her first leading TV role. Brown began her career with small roles in Eastenders and Casualty, she also had a small role in Beauty and the Beast.
Laurence O'Fuarain as Fjall
Fjall, like Éile, is an outcast from his clan (the Dog Clan though, which feuds with the Ravens). Originally hired to protect the king, a "misdemeanor" saw him exiled from the land, however his quest sees him return.
Laurence O'Fuarain is used to fantasy or medieval epics, having played roles in a single episode each of Game of Thrones, Vikings, Rebellion and Into the Badlands, as well as the movies Viking Destiny and Black '47.
Michelle Yeoh as Scian
Scian is yet another character adrift from their tribe, but this time because she's the only remaining member of it. A master swords-wielder, Scian's goal in fighting the empire is to reclaim a sword that was stolen from her tribe.
Michelle Yeoh is by far and away the most famous member of the Blood Origin cast, with a career spanning Hollywood movies as well as Hong Kong action films and many more. She's a legendary martial artist, whether with or without a sword. She's famous for martial art movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Moonlight Express, as well as Hollywood titles like Tomorrow Never Dies, Sunshine or The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Recently she's been in Everything Everywhere All At Once, The School for Good and Evil and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Yeoh has less of a TV resume, but has been in some big series like Star Trek: Discovery and Netflix's Marco Polo.
She's also scheduled to be in A Haunting in Venice (the upcoming Kenneth Branagh Agatha Christie movie), the third and fourth Avatar movies and both parts of the Wicked adaptation expected in 2024.
Francesca Mills as Meldof
Meldof is a dwarf, a race which isn't exactly accepted within the elfin kingdom. The mistreatment she faces from the elves gives her more than enough reason to join the seven heroes looking to take down the empire.
Francescal Mills has a long stage tradition, but on screen you may have seen her in Pistol, Worzel Gummidge or Harlots; she has a small role in Zoolander 2 as well.
Huw Novelli as Brother Death
With a character name like "Brother Death," you know what you're getting into, though to his friends he goes by the rather more gentle name of Callan. An elf with a relatively mysterious backstory, Callan has his own bones to pick with the new empire, which is why he joins the group of seven.
Huw Novelli has had roles in Ordinary Lies, The Pact and The Capture, with the latter being his biggest role with multiple episodes.
Zach Wyatt as Syndril
A talented mage and spiritual sibling to Zacaré, Syndril gets caught up in the empire's scheming. When his research into monoliths is used to bad ends, he teams up with the group of seven.
Previously, Zach Wyatt has had roles in TV shows Karen Pirie and Urban Myths, as well as the movie Blithe Spirit.
Lizzie Annis as Zacaré
Another mage, and spiritual sibling to Syndril (meaning they were born in the same place, at the same time, under the right moon), Zacaré focuses more on natural and healing magic.
Annis has two previous credits on IMDb: one is a short film called Night Growler, the other a podcast called Crush Hour: A Musical.
Other Blood Origin characters
Mirren Mack as Merwyn
Merwyn is sister to the king, but she's canny enough to keep up with all the plotting and scheming taking place in the palace.
Mirren Mack is most well known for her roles as Florence in Sex Education and the BBC drama The Nest. Most of her performances are on stage though, with many theatrical appearances.
Lenny Henry as Balor
Balor is the Chief Druid, but he has plans beyond healing people — he wants to use monoliths, and portals they provide, for nefarious ends.
Lenny Henry is a huge name in the UK, as a popular stand-up comedian and actor. He's also a television personality, and co-founder of Comic Relief. How many other people in the Blood Origin cast have had their own TV show named after them?.
Henry has quite a penchant for fantasy though, with an important role in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and voice roles in The Sandman, Doctor Who and Harry Potter.
Joey Batey as Jaskier
The one returning character from The Witcher TV show, Jaskier is a bard and trouble magnet who makes his living by singing and reciting poetry. As a bard does. While Jaskier lived 1,200 years after the events of the show, he's present in Blood Origin as part of a framing device to explain the relevance of the story.
Joey Batey is best known for his role in the first two seasons of The Witcher, particularly for the catchy song from it, "Toss a Coin to your Witcher," but he's also been in Knightfall, The War of the Worlds (2019 TV show), Whitechapel and Mount Pleasant.
Minnie Driver as Seanchai
Seanchai is an ancient elf, likely one of the oldest characters that we meet in the world of The Witcher. Like Jaskier, she's from the show's "modern" time — she serves as the show's narrator.
Minnie Driver is one of the most famous members of the cast, having been in movies like Good Will Hunting, The Phantom of the Opera, I Give it a Year and Cinderella, as well as TV shows like Will & Grace, My Good Friend and Speechless.
The Witcher: Blood Origins is now streaming on Netflix.
