Netflix’s Witcher Universe Expansion Reconfirmed with Riff Raff

Television

After the universally panned atrocity that was The Witcher: Blood Origin and the backlash to Henry Cavill’s recasting, the future of Netflix’s Witcher universe was thrown into question, rightfully so. Many commentators theorized that the spin-offs would be canceled and the series would only endure through its 5th season, confirmed to be filming back-to-back with season 4. According to recent reports from the Redanian Intelligence, Netflix is doggedly forging ahead, ignoring all these legitimate concerns. The previously announced spin-off following the Rats, set to begin production early this year, has been reconfirmed and is still moving ahead. Additional details about this spin-off have also been released.

Rats is no longer the working title for this series; it is now tentatively called Riff Raff instead. Witcher: Riff Raff is set to film in South Africa from April through September of this year, with the predicted release date of summer 2024. The title Rats was criticized initially for its simplicity, but Riff Raff may be even worse, as the term Riff Raff is inherently tied to mockery and a lack of seriousness, both elements adverse to an accurate adaptation of the Rats’ story. In the Witcher novels, the Rats are a violent and sadistic group of youthful outlaws hiding behind a false Robin Hood-esque veneer, concealing their darker selves.

Initially, there was speculation that this spin-off would also feature Ciri, as the Rats’ story is tied to Ciri in the books. The primary hole in this speculation came from the fact that the shared story of Ciri and the Rats takes place in the third Witcher novel, which the 4th season is set to adapt. What would be the point of a Ciri — who’s arguably the main character of the main show — spin-off when that story is set to be told in the main series? It appears that Netflix understood this problem — which is something, at least — as a newly released logline confirms that this series will be a prequel set before Ciri joins the Rats as its seventh member. The logline states:

“Six teenage thieves must rely on their criminal skills as they plan the biggest heist of their careers against the most dangerous crime ring in the kingdom.”

As the Redanian Intelligence rightfully notes, heist stories are an incredibly popular genre. It is concerning to hear that Netflix is once again choosing to avoid the genre, tone, and feel of The Witcher in favor of other things, much like they did in BO. Perhaps the best route forward for Netflix after the disastrous events of 2022 would have been to delay production of Riff Raff until after the release of season 3 and the departure of Henry Cavill. This delay would have allowed Netflix to gauge fan reception and interest in the series going forward, delaying a potential cancellation of Witcher: Riff Raff until such time as this reception is evident.