The Witcher has been embroiled in controversy in recent months, with claims the show's writers openly mock the source material doing little to win over fans already disappointed with the Netflix series. Then, there's the small matter of Henry Cavill walking away from the role of Geralt of Rivia, with the mantle instead passed to The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth.
While no reflection on Liam, the response to that news has now been at all good, and it feels like a lot of viewers are gearing up to turn their backs on the franchise.
Talking to TechRadar about The Witcher: Blood Origin, franchise showrunner Lauren Hissrich responded to the backlash surrounding Cavill's departure (most have blamed the creative team's lack of interest in adhering to the source material for the Man of Steel star's decision to leave).
"It's a big deal for us, too," she admitted. "And that's the thing – there's a lot of talk and rumors about and we fully understand why fans are going there."
"What I will say is please come back for The Witcher season three so that we can continue to do this," Hissrich added. "Obviously, that [Cavill's departure] is huge news. But what I don't want to do is – this has to stay about Blood Origin, Declan [de Barra, Blood Origin's showrunner], the cast, and the crew. This is their time in the spotlight."
Oof, that's really not the greatest response, and feels like the words of someone who knows the series is coming under heavy fire. Throw in the fact that excitement for The Witcher: Blood Origin already seems relatively low, and we can't help but wonder if that season 4 with Hemsworth will ever actually happen.
Hissrich could have used this opportunity to assure fans that many of the rumours are untrue, and while trying to keep the focus on that spin-off is understandable, it's not what people want to hear right now. As for asking viewers to tune in to season 3 so they can make a season 4 hundreds of thousands have signed a petition which demands it be scrapped...well, we're not sure about that either.
What do you guys think? Be sure to check out a new trailer for The Witcher: Blood Origin here.